We Can Make It If We Try
by AmphibianQueen
Summary: Rose and Tripp are sixteen years old and have just left Chicory, their home town. On their journey they befriend an eccentric Pokémon Professor, battle high and unwelcome emotions, and attempt to unveil the ancient secret of the Dragon Tamers. OC and OC Rated M for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

The amber sun rose over the region of Sesame, warming its vast forests and lengthy beaches and highlighting the snow-capped peak of Dill Rook. Far to the South of Dill Rook lay a little town named Chicory. Its inhabitants were few, and the nearest city was a good hour away. Chicory was so insignificant, so rarely visited, that it was not considered to need a Pokémon Centre. In a small cottage near Chicory Forest lived Nurse Hope and her daughter Rose. Nurse Hope was an expert in the production of herbal medicines; her potions were disliked by the majority of Pokémon, but they healed where the popular medicines failed.

As the rays of sun illuminated the windows of Chicory Manor, on the hill overlooking the town, a boy started from the house and made his way through the quaint village, before he arrived at the small cottage by the forest.

The boy knocked on the door rather harder than he had intended to, but he was so excited he couldn't seem to contain himself. The door opened after a few minutes of his impatient waiting, and a girl with dark curly hair stood in the doorway, a green bottle in one hand.

"Tripp? What're you doing here? It's six in the morning!"

Tripp walked into her cottage and kicked off his shoes - he was comfortable here.

"I've got something to show you!" he said, turning around to find that his friend was no longer there. He proceeded to the upstairs medical room where he knew he'd be sure to find her. A woman was bustling around the room, picking up various bottles and strings of dried herbs, whilst a very sick-looking Doduo lay on her medical examination table. The woman looked tired; she had dark circles under her eyes, and her blond curls were tied in a messy bun, but she smiled as she saw the tall boy in the doorway.

"Oh, morning Tripp, help yourself to anything – Rose, can you pass me the Thyme please?"

The dark curly haired girl – Rose – handed her mother the bunch of dried herbs, and both females sighed in relief when, after being administered the herbs, the Doduo gave a cough, and its eyes opened blearily.

"Thank goodness!" Nurse Hope exclaimed, wiping a hand over her perspiring forehead, "That was quite easily the most deadly Weedle sting I've ever had to deal with!" she said, before falling heavily backwards into a chair.

"Weedle?" repeated Tripp with a laugh, "What's so dangerous about a Weedle?"

Nurse Hope and her daughter exchanged a dark look.

"The higher level Weedle reaches without permitting itself to evolve, the more deadly its sting." Rose told him knowledgeably; being the daughter of a nurse, at sixteen she already knew a great deal about Pokémon.

"Wow!" Tripp said sheepishly, "I didn't realise Weedle could be so cool!"

"Nobody seems to," Nurse Hope replied, "it's all about Beedrill with teenagers! And Tripp – do me a favour and tell the young man sat in the living room that his Doduo is recovering; I daresay he'll be happy to hear it!"

Half an hour later, the three were sitting down to a cup of tea, when Tripp remembered; he couldn't believe he had forgotten.

"Rose!"" he yelled, causing her to spill her tea in her lap, "I meant to show you!"

"Show me what?" she asked snappily, she did after all have scalded legs.

"My dad came back from Cerulean City last night, you know, just checking up on his Pokémarts and stuff, and he brought me something back…"

Rose surveyed Tripp closely. His family were very wealthy, having founded the Pokémart, but his blue eyes were sparkling in a way she had never witnessed before. Her own brown eyes widened considerably as he took a Pokéball from his belt and enlarged it. Even Nurse Hope began to pay attention at this point – she was used to seeing Tripp's merchandise from other regions, but this was different - and very exciting too.

"No way," Rose breathed, "you got your first Pokémon?!"

Tripp grinned before opening the Pokéball, and in a flash of white light, his first Pokémon appeared.

"Psyduck," it squawked.

"Whoa!" exclaimed both Rose and her mother at the same time.

"Where did your father find a Psyduck, Tripp?" Nurse Hope asked frowning; the species had been on the brink of extinction due to a rather nasty oil slick many years before.

"Well, my mother loves water type Pokémon – as you know - and she set up the Psyduck conservation centre in Cerulean. This is the first egg to have hatched from the two rescued Psyduck, but there're a whole bunch more!"

"That's very impressive," Nurse Hope smiled, "I haven't seen a Psyduck in at least eight years!"

"I've never seen one!" Rose said, laughing as Psyduck walked into the table repeatedly, "Why has he got his eyes closed?"

"It's just Psyduck's chronic headache," Nurse Hope answered, "It's a very common occurrence, especially in a young one."

Tripp looked horrified.

"You mean he's always going to walk into stuff?"

Nurse Hope laughed, "No, no, luckily for the poor thing he'll grow out of it once he evolves."

This comment caused Tripp to remember the second part of his visit; he looked to his friend hopefully.

"Rose?" he asked tentatively.

"Hmm?" she answered; she was still preoccupied with Psyduck, who was now repeatedly bumping into her knees.

"Will you help me train him?" he asked, before casting a wary glance at her mother, "that is uh – you know…if you don't need her help and everything?"

Nurse Hope laughed once more.

"Tripp, you don't need my _permission_! Of course she can help you!"

Rose herself looked surprised.

"I can?"

Her mother rolled her eyes.

"Just to prove how serious I am, you can go now - go on – scram!" she said fondly to the two teenagers who, in their shock, left the table as though in a trance.

-o-

They walked through Chicory Town towards the forest, deep in conversation.

"I mean, I'm sixteen!" Tripp was saying, "and I'm seventeen in a couple of months, most kids get their first Pokémon at ten or twelve at the _latest_!"

"That is true," Rose pondered as she watched a Taillow fly over the forest, "and haven't you always wanted to be a Pokémon trainer? Why did your parents leave it so late?"

Tripp frowned slightly, looking to the ground.

"I think it's my mum, you know what she's like, I'm her only child…I think she's a bit funny about letting me leave…"

"Yeah," Rose replied, now looking over to Tripp's Manor on the hill, "but you have to start somewhere, and now you can!"

Tripp smiled as this fact did indeed register with him.

"You're right!" he laughed, "I'm sure my mum just needs to get used to the idea; I mean, she was a trainer herself! She was in the Elite Four!"

Rose laughed along with him, "I always forget that. You'd never look at your mum and think she used to travel with Pokémon, she's such a socialite now!"

"Yeah, she gave it up when she married my dad; you know when she was in the Elite Four, he used to always challenge the League but he could never get past her? He was pretty good at Pokémon, my dad, but I think he gave it up when he married my mum because she was so much better than him he was embarrassed…"

The teenagers burst into unrestrained laughter, but it silenced immediately upon their entering the forest. It was eerily quiet.

"Never much liked this place," Tripp said nervously.

"Don't be silly!" Rose giggled; she frequently visited the forest in order to collect toadstools for her mother…she had, however, never ventured so far in so as to meet a wild Pokémon, and was starting to feel apprehensive herself.

"Let's just hope we don't meet a macho Weedle," she attempted to joke, but upon seeing Tripp's face grow white, she kept quiet.

They walked in silence for a while, their eyes darting restlessly. Rose grabbed Tripp's arm, causing him to yell out in fight.

"Shh," she whispered and pointed to a nearby Pecha berry bush; it was rustling slightly. Tripp gulped and took a step back, but sighed in relief as a Pichu gingerly made its way out of the bush, berry in hand.

They stood watching the Pichu eat its berry; it hadn't appeared to notice them.

"Well?" Rose asked her friend in amusement.

"Well what?" Tripp whispered, not taking his eyes off the wild Pokémon.

"Aren't we here to train?" she whispered mischievously, her brown eyes dancing in the murky light that was filtering through the leaf canopy.

"Oh, yeah!" Tripp exclaimed, startling the Pichu, who looked up at them from its berry.

"Go! Psyduck!" Tripp shouted.

Rose blinked; nothing had happened. Pichu too blinked, and looked questioningly at the two.

"Whoops," Tripp scratched his head in embarrassment, "I er, need to throw the Pokéball don't I...?"

Rose shook her head in exasperation, but laughed all the same.

Twenty minutes later, and the battle was still underway. Rose was surprised; she didn't have a Pokémon herself, but didn't think first battles were supposed to last so long. Psyduck, however, was proving to be the stronger, and Pichu was weakening.

"That's great!" Rose shouted "Stop, any more and it'll – TRIPP NO!" she screamed. But he had already ordered Psyduck to use its third water gun in a row, and Pichu was down, unconscious.

Tripp turned white.

"You idiot!" Rose shouted, rushing over to where the Pichu lay motionless, "you crossed the boundary! I told you to stop when I said so!"

She picked the Pichu up in her arms; it was barely breathing.

"I'm sorry," Tripp started "I didn't –"

"It doesn't matter," she snapped, "I have to go."

She ran out of the forest carrying the injured Pokémon, leaving Tripp to wander back home alone, miserably.

-o-

The midday sun beat down on her back as Rose ran through the village and kicked the door of her cottage open.

"Mum!" she shouted desperately, kicking her shoes off, "_mum_!"

As she ran into the kitchen, she felt her blood ran cold; there was a note on the table. It wasn't the first time it had happened, but now really wasn't a good time.

_**Rose,**_

_**I've gone to Fennel City - It's an urgent call, Elliot's Buizel is seriously injured. I doubt I'll be back before nightfall, there're some noodles in the fridge for dinner, don't wait up for me!**_

_**Mum x**_

Rose choked back her tears with difficulty. Nothing could be done. The nearest Pokémon centre was_in_ Fennel City – the Buizel must have been in a bad way to require her mother's care…not unlike this Pichu.

Rose swallowed and looked down at the little injured creature in her arms before making up her mind in a split second.

-o-

Over an hour later, she flopped into the chair in the medical room. She wouldn't be sure for a while if she had succeeded, but Pichu's breathing had steadied…for the moment. As she looked towards the little bandaged Pokémon lying on the examination table, she felt her eyes begin to droop with fatigue…

As Tripp reached his house, he opened the colossal front door and made his way into the expansive hallway. Neither of his parents were home, both leading rather busy lifestyles, so he went up the spiral staircase to his bedroom, and lay back on his king-sized bed. Psyduck was wandering around his bedroom tentatively sniffing things. Tripp smiled as he realised that he finally had his own Pokémon, but he bit his lip guiltily when he remembered the Pichu, and he wished more than anything that he had listened to Rose when she told him to stop – he just got carried away. He wasn't a Pokémon abuser was he? Not like that Team Rocket from years ago, who forced and tortured Pokémon into doing horrific things for them? He shuddered, he didn't want to become that, and was going to prove it.

-o-

Rose awoke with a start; she looked over at the Pichu, and to her relief saw him sitting up himself, before opening his little mouth and yawning. When he saw her, he began to jump up and down excitedly, before falling back from exhaustion.

"Oh, you poor thing," Rose smiled, handing the little Pokémon an Oran berry, "here - this should make you feel better."

The Pichu took the berry from her, and began to tuck in happily. Rose watched him for a while, before hearing a rather loud knock at the door. She realised that it was probably this that had woken her in the first place.

She wasn't surprised to see Tripp standing there, his dark hair plastered to his head from the heavy summer rains. He walked inside without a word, and looked at her, his eyes melancholy. Rose realised she was no longer angry with him now that the Pichu was okay - he hadn't meant it after all.

"Did –"

His voice cracked, and he cleared his throat before trying again.

"Is Pichu all right? Did your mum manage to fix him up okay?" he kept his blue eyes glued to the wooden floor. Rose stared at him levelly.

"She wasn't in," she said, her chin held high in defiance. True, she wasn't angry, but she wanted Tripp to know that what he did wasn't right, or in any way acceptable. However, when she saw the despair in his eyes when he registered this fact, she couldn't help but end his evident misery.

"It's all right though, I healed him," she grinned.

Tripp laughed shakily in relief, "You did?" he cried happily, but then his eyes widened as he looked at her.

"By yourself?"

The Pichu had looked pretty worse for wear. Rose shrugged nonchalantly.

"Lucky I know my stuff, huh?" she said, sitting down on the sofa.

Uncharacteristically of him, Tripp stayed standing.

"Rose, I-I'm sorry, I know –"

She stood abruptly, silencing him, her face was passive, but her brown eyes were light.

"Tripp, it was an accident. You've never battled before," she said, smiling warmly at him, and he sunk to the sofa, his face in his hands.

"I-I was so worried! I thought I'd killed the little guy! I started to think I was like Team –" he stopped himself, and flushed slightly.

"Go on," Rose grinned.

"Nothing," Tripp mumbled, his flush growing more pronounced.

Fortunately for him, Pichu, now fully recovered, bounded into the living room, and jumped from the sofa onto Rose's shoulder. She laughed merrily.

"I see someone's feeling better!" she smiled, tapping Pichu's little nose as he squeaked in pleasure.

"You coming?" she asked Tripp, who had reclined back on the sofa in relief.

"Coming?" he repeated, baffled, "Where?"

"Chicory Forest!" Rose said, "I have to return this little guy where we found him!"

Tripp frowned slightly, but said nothing as he followed his friend out of the cottage, the Pichu squeaking happily on her shoulder.

-o-

"Rose?" Tripp asked, as they entered the forest. She looked to him expectantly; he had been rather quiet on their walk.

"Well, this Pichu…he seems to like you…couldn't you, well – you know?"

"Spit it out," she told him, smiling curiously at her friend.

"Couldn't you keep him? You know, as your own?"

It was Rose's turn to frown. She watched Pichu scramble up an oak tree and swing from a branch, before landing lightly on the mossy ground, and wiggling himself into a bush.

"He's wild Tripp," she said, but he could see the sadness in her eyes, "and I'm a nurse! I don't have time for my own Pokémon, I have to help mum."

"So that's what you want to do?" Tripp asked, his gaze set as he stared at the bush Pichu had disappeared into, "nursing?"

"Well," Rose said, "I enjoy it, and I've _always_ been helping mum, I feel like it's my calling, you know? What's the matter?" she asked, concerned; his blue eyes had hardened considerably, and he sighed quietly before answering.

"I have a Pokémon now, I…I have to go on a journey - I mean, I need to go and train! I need to get strong if I have any chance of becoming the Champion…"

Rose snapped her head in his direction; she didn't know he was so serious about his Pokémon career.

"And being here isn't going to help me and Psyduck," he continued, "there's nothing here…" he looked to her pointedly, "well, except…"

She looked at him, her brown eyes narrowed in confusion.

"Except for what?"

"You," he said bluntly. Rose was taken aback; she had never heard him speak in such a serious manner. He noticed her eyes widen, and regretted what he said.

"I-I don't mean it like that!" he exclaimed, mortified that he might discover what he felt.

"I know!" Rose replied with attempted indifference. She felt…disappointed?

"Of course I don't!" Tripp laughed, "You're like a sister to me!" His blasé attitude covered up his embarrassment. If they hadn't avoided each other's eyes, Rose would have realised just how red Tripp was, and he would have noticed just how shocked she looked.

"What did you mean then?" Rose asked, attempting a smile.

"Neither of us have siblings, and we've practically grown up together," he said truthfully, "I just assumed we'd go on a Pokémon journey together when the time came."

They had left the forest, and at this point in their conversation, they had nearly reached Tripp's Manor House. He held the door open for her as he waited for her answer. She was silent until she reached the kitchen.

"Tripp…Pokémon training, it's not for me…" she saw the light fade from his bright eyes, and felt guilty, "I mean, it's not as though I could anyway, my mum needs all the help she can get! And I enjoy nursing!"

"But, what about your dad?" Tripp asked in a rush, and regretted it almost instantly. They had never discussed Rose's father, who had left home when she was only five to pursue his own Pokémon dreams.

"What about him?" Rose asked. Her voice was calm, but her face had drained of all colour.

"N-nothing," Tripp mumbled, "forget it."

"I'm not made of glass," Rose smiled, "But I honestly don't know Tripp. If you're trying to imply that Pokémon training runs in my genes, I couldn't answer you. We haven't heard hide nor hair of my father since he left – he could be dead for all we know."

Her voice was once again calm, but Tripp knew her better than that, and he rested his hands on her shoulders, much to her shock.

"I'm sorry," he said looking into her eyes earnestly. She didn't know what to do, and so nodded in response. He let go of her, and the two looked away from one another, highly embarrassed and very confused as to what had happened.

"I'd better be getting –"

"Do you want me to take you -?"

They spoke at the same time, and flushed again.

"Do you want me to take you home?" Tripp tried again.

Rose smiled, and his breath caught as she raised her eyes to his, her dark hair tumbling past her shoulders.

"Yes please," she smiled, and his heart beat in his chest hopefully.

**AN:**

**So this is how it begins! Rather tame I know, but I can't have them sucking face and ripping each other's clothes off in Chapter One (; I'd love to hear your thoughts (:**

**Love A x**


	2. Chapter 2

The walk back to Rose's cottage was silent, but it was a comfortable silence, neither feeling the need to break it. Once they reached the front door, Tripp spoke.

"Rose, think about what I said…I think you'd enjoy it. You're such a natural at Pokémon training and we always have such fun -" she put her finger to his lips to silence him, before smiling.

"We can discuss it tomorrow," she said, "thanks for walking me home."

Tripp nodded, feeling very confused with the turn their relationship had seemed to take.

"Tomorrow," he repeated.

Rose closed the door with a final smile, and Tripp made his solitary way back home.

She shook her head slightly as she entered her dark house; her mother wasn't yet home. She was feeling confused, she had never thought that Tripp might think of her in that way…she shook her head again. But he denied it? Didn't he? Then why did he walk her home? He had never offered to do that before. She frowned, even more confused. There was no good in thinking about it anyway, she told herself practically; he wanted to go off exploring with Pokémon, she didn't, she wanted to become a nurse.

Or did she? Tripp had awakened new feelings in her, forcing her to think of the father who had hurt her, whom she had tried so hard to forget…Did she want to become a nurse? Was there more out there for her? She didn't know anymore, and felt lost.

A high pitched squeak brought her out of her reverie. She froze on the spot, listening hard, but there was no other sound. Shrugging she made her way upstairs to her bedroom; she had no appetite.

When Tripp arrived home, he sat down on his bed and ran his hands through his dark hair. The conversation hadn't worked out as he expected. He'd always assumed they'd go on a Pokémon journey together – it's what friends did! But tonight had surprised him; not only did he almost accidently reveal his unrequited feelings for her, but she had told him in so many words that she wasn't leaving Chicory Town, that she wasn't going to _have_ a Pokémon of her own…

He let Psyduck out of its Pokéball.

"At least I'll have you with me, Psyduck," he sighed, before shaking his head; talking to a Pokémon - he must be going mad.

"Psy?" Psyduck asked, cocking his head to one side.

"Ahh never mind," Tripp said, before lying back on his bed, head pounding. Psyduck looked at his trainer incredulously before curling up on the end of his bed.

-o-

Rose awoke abruptly in the night; it was that squeaking, she heard it again, and this time she was positive. She turned on her bedroom light - nothing. Frowning, she looked out of the window and saw a flurry of movement on the ground – yellow movement. Half exasperated, half amused, she donned her dressing gown and made her way downstairs; her mother still wasn't home. Upon opening the front door, a tiny yellow being flew at her, squeaking with all its might and trying to lick her face with its tiny tongue.

"Pichu!" she gasped in shock, "What're you doing here?" she asked the little Pokémon.

Pichu looked up at her with his glassy black eyes, "Pipi, Pichu pi!" he squeaked happily.

"You can't stay with me!" she said, "You live in the forest!"

Pichu shook his little head in denial.

"Don't look at me like that!" she told him sternly, "I can't keep you and that's that! Come on, I'm taking you back right now."

She put Pichu down, and pulled on her boots, before picking him up again, and marching towards the forest.

-o-

When Tripp awoke the next morning, his neck was stiff and he still had a headache. He looked towards Psyduck who was observing him with interest.

"This how you feel buddy?" he asked, gesturing towards his head. To his astonishment, Psyduck nodded.

"You - you understand me?" Tripp gaped. He had no idea; after all, the two may as well have spoken different languages.

"We have to tell Rose!" he said, to nobody in particular - in denial that Psyduck could in fact understand him.

For the second time in a row, Tripp was at Rose's door at six in the morning, and making quite a racket.

Rose's eyes fluttered open, and she screamed. Looking right at her, a couple of inches from her own, were a pair of enormous black eyes.

"Piiiiiiiii!" he squeaked happily, bouncing on the bed. Rose gasped in horror.

"PICHU!" she shouted, "you cannot stay with me! I can't look after you!" she said in frustration.

Downstairs, she heard her mother open the front door with a cheerful, "Morning Tripp!"

Sensing her lack of concentration, Pichu made for her bedroom door, and bounced happily down the staircase to the living room where Tripp and her mother were. Rose's heart stopped as she followed him down the stairs, she was in for it now…

-o-

Nurse Hope blinked once, and then twice upon seeing a Pichu launch itself from her daughter's bedroom. Rose's guilty face at the top of the staircase said it all for Nurse Hope, and her grey-blue eyes narrowed.

"Tripp," she said, not taking her eyes from her daughter, "would you mind waiting in the kitchen for a moment?"

Tripp didn't need telling twice, and bolted for the other end of the cottage.

"Mum," Rose started, "it's really not –"

"Rose?" Nurse Hope interrupted, "Explain."

Rose gulped; shouting she could cope with, disappointment was harder.

"It's not what it looks like, I didn't capture him, I healed him yesterday - it's a long story…"

"Healed him?" her mother frowned, "what do you mean?"

Rose launched into her tale, and when she had finished, her mother continued to look disbelieving.

"Rose, I don't want to accuse you of lying, but there really is no way a Pokémon could be so bonded to you simply through that amount of limited contact - it's standard!"

Nurse Hope frowned, but then her eyes began to widen as though she remembered something.

At this point, Tripp poked his head around the door.

"Um, I couldn't help but er – overhear, and er – Nurse Hope, Rose, she - she's telling the truth."

He looked at his friend's mother earnestly.

Nurse Hope frowned once again.

"We're not finished with this Rose, I…I suggest you return the Pichu to the forest…and you and Tripp will have to occupy yourselves today - I have to make a phone call…right away."

"To whom?" Rose asked curiously, noticing the strange look on her mother's face.

"To your cousin Mona. I'm going to invite her here on a long term basis."

"Mona?" Rose asked, confused. Mona was her cousin, a year her senior, and she lived in Sage City, "What's she coming for? And why do I have to stay away? Won't you need my help?"

Nurse Hope looked at her daughter levelly; Rose couldn't make out her expression.

"Mona will be living in Chicory Town from now on; I'm going to teach her nursing."

-o-

What happened afterwards was a blur. Rose somehow remembered leaving the house with Tripp and Pichu, and the next thing she knew they were sat on the mossy floor of the forest; Pichu sat in her lap nibbling on a Cheri berry.

Tripp attempted to break the suffocating silence.

"Rose…can Pokémon…understand us?"

She looked up at him, her brown eyes dull.

"Of course they can," she answered in a monotone. This answer he hadn't been expecting.

"They can?" he exclaimed. Rose merely nodded. Tripp sighed; she really wasn't in the mood today. He released Psyduck from its Pokéball, and wandered a few meters to the left, until he found a Weedle, and began to train.

Rose looked up from her lap, where Pichu was happily sat. She watched Tripp training, and was surprised to see that he was good, really good. His decisions were quick, and in the short time he'd had his Pokémon, he appeared to understand Psyduck. They worked as a team. She smiled slightly, and then sighed as she remembered her situation. She had never asked, but had always assumed that her mother would train _her_ once she turned seventeen. She knew Mona was interested in nursing, but Sage City had an enormous Pokémon Centre, why hadn't she applied for a course there? Rose felt even more confused. She felt as though the one anchor to her future had been snatched from her.

She snapped back to reality when Tripp sat down next to her once more, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

"You were very good," she said in a small voice, "much improved."

"Thanks!" he grinned, resting back on his elbows, "I could have caught it sooner though, it wasn't a very well placed attack, that Headbutt."

"You – you caught that Weedle?" Rose asked, evidently shocked. Tripp pretended to be offended.

"You didn't see?" he asked, feigning tears. Rose laughed and hit him on the arm.

"No I didn't...was lost in thought," she attempted a nonchalant smile.

Tripp looked at her intently.

"That surprised you didn't it?" he asked.

Rose looked at him, ready to deny it, but then couldn't see the point.

"Yeah, it surprised me," she looked him in the eye, "why is she training someone else? I'm her freaking daughter!"

Tripp frowned to himself, also unable to make much sense of the situation.

"I don't know," he said truthfully, "have you ever…you know, expressed any desire to be a nurse?"

"Well, no," Rose admitted, "but I would have thought it was obvious! Do I not help her all the time?"

"You do," Tripp said, "but maybe she thinks that you consider it a duty instead of a hobby? Maybe she thinks she's doing you a _favour_ training your cousin, so maybe…"

"Maybe what?" Rose asked; he was avoiding her eyes again.

"Maybe…she thinks you want something else?" his blue eyes met her brown ones, and held them.

"Tripp, that's _your_ dream, not mine, and whether Mona's there or not, if I don't talk to my mother, I could miss out on _my_ dream."

She stood up and brushed the mud off her jeans.

"I'll try and come to yours later," she said.

With that, Rose made her way out of the forest, seemingly unaware that Pichu was close behind her.

-o-

At eleven o'clock that night, there was a tentative knock at Tripp's bedroom door. He sat up from where he had been lying fully clothed on his bed, and pulled his cap off his face, which he had been using to shield his eyes from the light that he couldn't be bothered to turn off. He opened the door. He didn't know who he expected to see, but it wasn't Rose. Her long dark hair was dripping from the rain and her lips were red from the cold. Her eyes were downcast, and Tripp knew better than to say anything. He pulled her into a hug, and closed his eyes.

"Psy?"

Tripp kept his eyes closed; Rose's hair smelt of lavender, and he couldn't seem to let go of her. He wasn't aware of ever having hugged her before.

"Pi?"

At this his eyes did snap open, and he took in the sight of Psyduck and Pichu shaking little Pokémon paws.

"What the fuck?" Tripp couldn't help but yell, and he relaxed as he felt Rose laugh a little against his chest.

"You haven't been formally introduced yet," she said, her eyes regaining a little of their sparkle, "Pichu this is Tripp, Tripp this is Pichu – my Pokémon."

Tripp gaped at her.

"_Your_ Pokémon? But – nursing?" he looked into her brown eyes searchingly.

Rose sat down on his bed, and rubbed her eyes wearily.

"I talked to my mum," she said. Tripp was always impressed how she managed to keep her voice so stable when she herself clearly wasn't.

"She…she said," Rose rubbed her temples, "she said I shouldn't be a nurse."

Tripp frowned; although he wanted Rose to be a trainer, it was for selfish reasons. If she truly wanted to be a nurse, he didn't see why anyone should stop her.

"It's not like that," she began heavily, "it's partly to do with that little guy," she said, looking towards Pichu who was doing forward rolls along Tripp's bedroom floor.

"What about him?" Tripp asked, confused.

"He's bonded with me," Rose said, "so not only is it unsafe to leave him in the wild now…"

"Go on," Tripp urged her.

"Well," she began, and then continued in a small voice, "apparently my dad's Growlithe bonded with him in the same way…"

Tripp gaped at her.

"And it's unusual apparently…the strength of this bond…so maybe you're right…I mean, I don't know what became of my dad, but maybe my genes _do_ have something to do with it?" she managed to smile again, and Tripp couldn't help but smile back.

"So what's the conclusion?" he asked her, rather confused as to her situation.

"Well, if you don't mind…" she began.

"…Yes?" Tripp urged her, not entirely sure why he was feeling so nervous.

"If you don't mind, I may be joining you on a 'quest' of some sort," she said, wrinkling her nose.

"YES!" Tripp shouted. Without thinking, he pulled Rose to her feet and hugged her tightly, until they were both laughing. Their Pokémon looked up at them in bewilderment.

"Next stop Fennel City?" Rose asked, grinning.

"You bet!" Tripp laughed, hugging her again.

_This_ was what was meant to happen, he thought to himself.

-o-

Two weeks later, bags packed, and Pokémon safely in Pokéballs, Rose and Tripp were on the edge of Chicory Forest, saying their final goodbyes to their families.

"Now Tripp," his mother began, pushing her long blond hair over her shoulders, "please make sure that you brush your teeth twice a day - for two minutes remember? _Two_ minutes…"

"Mum! I'm not ten!" Tripp blushed furiously, glaring at his mother, and avoiding Rose, Mona and Nurse Hope's eyes.

They all laughed, and the parents all hugged their children goodbye one last time.

"Do let me know if you hear anything, won't you Rose?" her mother whispered in her ear. Although she couldn't imagine that she would come across her father, she couldn't deny her mother the hope.

"Of course I will," she whispered back, before separating from her mother, and making her way into Chicory Forest with Tripp once more.

-o-

"No, I'm telling you! A Psyduck's Headbutt wouldn't have that strong an effect on a Geodude!"

"But I don't understand why not," Tripp persisted, "if you trained the Psyduck up loads…"

"Well yes," Rose replied, "it would make a difference, but that still doesn't detract from the fact that Headbutt is a normal type move and Geodude is a rock type Pokémon!"

"Ooh yeah…" Tripp said, "I forgot that moves could have types too…"

"It's a very important thing to remember; the better you know your types and weaknesses, the better you'll do in battle."

Tripp sighed; he still had a lot to learn.

"Where do you reckon I could catch a Geodude?" he asked his friend.

Rose frowned, "I have no idea, I suppose we'll just have to look around?" she said optimistically.

"The whole of Sesame?" Tripp laughed, "That's ambitious! We've been trying to find our way out of Chicory Forest for almost two hours now…"

It was then that they reached a fork on the path they had decided to follow. The left was lighter, the golden daylight filtering in through the thick leaves; the right was gloomier, murkier, the undergrowth thicker and the birch trees more numerous.

"What're you doing?" Rose asked Tripp incredulously; he had begun to walk down the somewhat sinister looking right path.

"What do you mean?" he frowned back, "there's bound to be a ton of Pokémon down this path!"

"Tripp, don't be ridiculous – we may have three Pokémon between us, but unfortunately, they're not particularly strong."

"Relax Rose!" he rolled his eyes, "isn't this how we train?"

"No. It's not," Rose snapped, "that's how we kill ourselves."

"Oh, lighten _up_ will you?!" Tripp exclaimed, exasperated. He saw her eyes narrow and tensed, waiting for it…

After twenty minutes of ferocious arguing (on Rose's behalf), the teenagers started down the lighter left route, Tripp rather sulkily so.

"Where we headed next then, genius?" he mumbled. He was feeling rather antagonistic towards his friend at the moment.

Rose rolled her eyes but didn't answer.

They continued to walk in silence for a while, when a wild Caterpie shuffled across their path. Tripp, startled went to throw his Pokéball, but Rose was faster.

"Go Pichu!" she shouted, releasing Pichu as her own for the first time. The Caterpie froze before turning to the little electric Pokémon.

"Use your Shockwave!" Rose commanded, and Pichu, eager to please, closed his eyes and concentrated on surging the electricity forth.

Tripp meanwhile, stood open-mouthed in shock; he had never seen Rose battle before, and was awed by her skill and the apparent ease with which she delivered the attacks. She knew what she was doing; there was no doubt about it. Her brown eyes were set, her stance assertive, her look of determination striking – and Caterpie fainted.

She laughed as Pichu bounded up onto her shoulder and licked her ear. She turned to Tripp, who to her surprise was looking at her rather coldly.

"What's the matter?" she asked, confused.

"Nothing," Tripp answered, avoiding her gaze. In truth, he was embarrassed. He was a novice, and she was already highly skilled, what with her extensive knowledge and her seemingly formidable battle style. What was worse was that she already seemed to have a strong bond with her Pokémon, and although it sickened Tripp to admit it, whenever he had fantasised about their Pokémon adventure, it was he and not Rose that was the better trainer, the more successful in their Pokémon career.

"Spit it out Tripp?" Rose frowned; surely he wasn't still mad that they'd taken the left fork?

"Just leave it okay? I said it was nothing."

He hitched his rucksack more securely on his shoulder and continued to trudge through the undergrowth. Rose looked at Pichu, still perched on her shoulder, before shrugging and continuing after her friend.

It was nearing ten o'clock, and Noctowl's hoots were replacing the squawks and caws of Pidgey and Taillow.

"Tripp?" Rose called tentatively; they hadn't spoken since Rose's battle hours before, and didn't appear to be any nearer to escaping the confines of the forest.

The two had kept their distance of about ten yards since Tripp had stormed off, and he didn't seem too willing to change that anytime soon.

"Look," Rose continued, "I don't know about you, but I'm knackered, and I don't plan to walk the forest until dawn!" she stopped walking and crossed her arms.

"Pipi!" Pichu agreed. Rose's lips twitched. Tripp stopped walking, but didn't turn around.

"Well?" Rose asked, her eyebrows raised. She was bored of Tripp not talking to her, and tired on top of that. Her feet were aching horribly, and this did not inspire her to feel particularly patient.

He dropped his rucksack, pulled out his one-man tent, and began to pitch it in a nearby clearing sullenly. Rose rolled her eyes, but followed suit, pitching her tent next to Tripp's.

The night was cold, despite the fact it was August, and Rose was grateful for the thick sleeping bag her mother insisted she take. She smiled as Pichu snuggled in next to her; his presence was comforting after Tripp's cold front. She was however, too tired to think on it too much, and hoping that he would be over whatever it was by the morning, she drifted off to sleep.

Tripp however wasn't finding the comfort of sleep so easy. He was horribly cold and shivering violently. After half an hour, he could stand it no longer, and wriggled out of his sleeping bag, and began to grope in the darkness for his jumper.

He jumped in shock when he felt something unexpected in the gloom; something small and furry with rather pointy ears.

"Pipi!" Pichu shrieked, as Tripp grabbed his ear.

"Jeez!" Tripp shouted, before falling back on his behind – he wasn't expecting this, "What're you doing in here?" he demanded rather angrily, he did after all receive quite a fright. Pichu didn't appear to notice the anger in his voice, but bounded onto his chest, as he was still on the floor, and began 'talking' to him earnestly.

"Pi? Pipi, Pichu! Pichu pi?"

"I know she hasn't done anything wrong," Tripp said tiredly, "and I'm not mad at her…"

"Pichu?" Pichu replied disbelievingly.

"Well, all right, I was embarrassed more than anything…I mean…she's so good!"

"Pi Pichu!" Pichu exclaimed.

"I'm not as good as her though…"

Pichu widened his little eyes condescendingly.

"Don't give me that look!" yelled Tripp, whose eyes had adjusted to the gloom, "I_know_ it's stupid, I'm just jealous because this isn't even what she really wants, and she's better than me!" he started to turn red after having said this; going over and over it in his mind had been one thing, but to say it aloud made him realise just how awful he sounded.

Pichu, seeing this look of comprehension on Tripp's face, believed his work to be done, and scampered back to Rose's tent, where he snuggled down next to her in her sleeping bag.

-o-

Rose awoke much earlier than she would have liked, although she felt fairly well rested, due to the early morning caws of Pidgeotto. She frowned as she realised that Pichu was no longer in her sleeping bag, and unzipped her tent. She saw him sitting a few meters away and chewing happily on a Razz Berry.

She went back into her tent and pulled her jeans and jumper on, before packing everything away, ready to leave as soon as possible. She was bored of being stuck in this forest, and vowed to herself that they would be out of it by midday.

-o-

Tripp woke to the sound of Rose trying to stuff her tent back into her rucksack. He sat up and stretched, pulled his own jeans on, before crawling out of his tent, much to Rose's surprise. She had been trying to be quiet so as not to wake him. He gave her a small smile, much to her relief – she wasn't quite sure how he was going to behave towards her after yesterday's antics – and began to put her tent away for her.

"There," he said, once he had managed it, "it depends how you fold it; this way makes it a lot smaller, and therefore easier to put away."

"Thank you," Rose smiled, "if you put yours away, I'll do breakfast."

"Deal," Tripp grinned, pleased that he was feeling better again. He rolled his eyes at Pichu who had nodded at him in approval.

"That was not a fair deal!" Tripp laughed, as Rose handed him a plate, consisting of two bread rolls and a flask of chocolate milkshake.

"What did you expect?" she asked him, as she rolled her eyes, "fried eggs?"

Tripp shook his head at her as he bit into his bread roll, and took a swig of milkshake.

"I have a plan," Rose stated, as she started on her second bread roll, after having broken off a piece for Psyduck who didn't appear to be keen on Berries.

Tripp's mouth was full, but he raised his eyebrows to indicate that she should continue.

"Well," she said, "there are a lot of wild Pokémon around, and I thought it would only be fair to take the battling in turns," she took another bite of her bread, before saying, "that way we can avoid any spectacles like yesterday."

Tripp lowered his gaze and nodded; he was perfectly happy for her to believe that he had been sulking, simply because he had been of the opinion that she had stolen his battle opportunity.

"Good idea," he said, in a somewhat muffled voice.

Rose looked at him strangely, before shrugging, assuming his voice was due to the fact he had taken another bite of bread. She didn't notice that the tips of his ears had turned red.

-o-

When they had finished their breakfast, and their Pokémon were safely back in their Pokéballs (much to Pichu's distaste), Rose and Tripp continued on the path, feeling optimistic once more.

"I really want a Geodude," Tripp mused.

"I've noticed," Rose retorted. Tripp had done little else but to question her on the stats of the Pokémon, which she had to admit, she didn't know an awful lot about.

"What about you?" he asked, "what Pokémon do you want next?"

Rose had to think about this one; a trainer could only take six Pokémon with them at any one time, unless they wanted to set up a PC storage system account, but she knew this to be very expensive. She therefore wanted to think long and hard about which Pokémon she wanted to be included in her party.

"I'm not too sure about the exact Pokémon I want," she said, "but I do quite fancy a water type."

"Well Hyssop Lake's not too far from Fennel City!" Tripp said excitedly, "I hear they have loads of Goldeen!"

Rose wrinkled her nose.

"What?" Tripp asked, "What's wrong?"

"I don't like Goldeen much," Rose admitted.

"Why not?" Tripp asked, "I thought Seaking was a really good Pokémon?"

"It is!" Rose said sheepishly, "I just don't like the fact that…you know…"

Tripp raised his eyebrows in confusion.

"Know what?"

"Well, Goldeen and Seaking...and Magikarp and a bunch of others too I guess…"

"Yes?" Tripp asked impatiently.

Rose wrinkled her nose again, "They're _fish_!"

She began to get defensive when Tripp started laughing, "I've never liked fish! You know that!"

"Yeah, to _eat_!" he laughed, "What's wrong with a fish Pokémon?"

"Ooh I don't know!" Rose exclaimed, beginning to laugh herself now, "I just find them a bit creepy!"

"I am _so_ gonna catch one now," Tripp said gleefully, "and make you like –"

"Make me what?" Rose asked, eyebrows raised.

"I dunno…touch it and stuff…"

"Tripp," Rose laughed, "you are ridiculous."

She did feel slightly panicked at the idea however, and tried desperately hard not to show it.

"You really shouldn't catch another water type though you know," she said, trying to inject calmness into her voice, so as to hide her mounting hysteria at the thought of _touching_a fish…she shuddered.

"Oh?" Tripp asked, amused.

"Mhmm!" She continued, "it'll only be a disadvantage to you if you have too many of the same type in your party, I agree with you trying to find a Geodude next."

Tripp frowned as he realised that what she had said was actually very good advice.

"Know-it-all," he grumbled.

Rose breathed a sigh of relief and smiled; he didn't mean it really.

-o-

After another half an hour of walking, the trees began to thin considerably, large patches of sunlight now streaming in through them. Excited, the teenagers began to run, their backpacks rattling, their laughter carrying, until they reached the edge of the forest. They were silenced as they cast their eyes over the valley before them.

The land stretched for an inexhaustible number of miles, and almost all of Sesame was available to their eyes at that moment; from the famous Marjoram Park, to the far distant Fenugreek Beach, and the misty peak of Tarragon Mountain, all of which Rose had only heard of. As they began their descent down the hill, they were only acutely aware of just how remarkably this journey would change their lives.

**AN:**

**So here's the second instalment (: hope you enjoyed! Tripp is quite a jealous person – and this is something that will resurface in later chapters as you'll see!**

**Love A x**


	3. Chapter 3

Rose and Tripp, so elated that they were finally free from Chicory Forest, hurried along the road to Fennel City, rather conspicuously, so desperate they were to shower and buy some hot food.

"Whoa there!" exclaimed a girl with cropped hair and startling green eyes, that the unfortunate pair happened to crash into upon rounding a corner somewhat enthusiastically, "You're Pokémon trainers right?" she grinned, taking a Pokéball from her belt and enlarging it.

"You bet!" Tripp shouted enthusiastically. Rose cringed, he really was too impulsive.

"In that case, you can't say no to a battle," the girl replied before throwing her Pokéball – "Go! Budew!"

"I choose Weedle!" shouted Tripp.

Rose stepped back to let the battle commence.

"Use your Poison Sting!" Tripp commanded, and Weedle, happy to oblige, did so, and hit the Budew critically.

"No!" the green eyed girl screamed as her Budew reeled in pain, "Come on Budew! Use your Stun Spore!"

As the golden powder showered Weedle, he began to move rather slowly and rigidly.

"What's wrong with him?!" Tripp panicked, never having witnessed paralysis.

"He's fine Tripp!" Rose called, "We just need to stock up on medicine once we reach Fennel!"

The green eyed girl laughed before saying, "Budew! Use Magical Leaf!"

The attack hit Weedle squarely, but appeared to affect him very little. Weedle went on to use a very well placed Tackle, as ordered by Tripp, which caused the already weakened Budew to faint.

The girl withdrew Budew, and snarled, "Next I choose – Trapinch!"

Tripp smiled, he knew exactly what he had to do.

"Come back Weedle! Go! Psyduck!"

"Trapinch, use Crunch!" the girl yelled, pointing her index finger towards the opponent.

"Dodge it Psyduck! Show it your Water Gun!"

Psyduck threw back his head and used the attack, much stronger than Tripp had ever seen him do it.

"Go on Trapinch! Use Sand Attack!" the trainer demanded, but Tripp was too quick:

"Headbutt, Psyduck!" Trapinch, who had bravely faced the Water Gun crumbled when exposed to Psyduck's Headbutt, and like Budew before him, fainted.

The green eyed trainer was speechless. She returned Trapinch to its Pokéball and regarded Rose and Tripp.

"You're stronger than you look," she concluded sulkily, before picking up her rucksack, and continuing on her way towards Chicory.

-o-

"And the Headbutt? Did you see how well aimed it was?"

"Yes Tripp, I _was_ there remember?" Rose sighed, rolling her eyes. They had finally reached the outskirts of Fennel City, half an hour after Tripp's roadside battle – and he had spoken of nothing else since.

"Sorry," he mumbled sheepishly, "it's just exciting, I mean, that battle is proof that this journey is really happening!"

Rose smiled at her friend.

"No, I'm sorry," she apologised, "I don't blame you for being excited, I just really want to take a shower, and unfortunately for you, you're here with me, so you have the honour of being the target for my short temper."

Tripp shrugged happily, nothing could lower his current mood.

When they reached the Pokémon Centre and had their Pokémon healed, the two retreated to the back of the building, where the Trainer's Lodge was. Here they were able to shower, before making their way to the café, ordering a hot bowl of reviving noodle soup each.

"Honestly though," Tripp started before glaring at the rather large trainer sat next to him who had shunted his elbow – the café was crowded, "Psyduck's Water Gun; is it me, or did it seem way more powerful?"

Rose swallowed her mouthful of noodles before answering, "No, I noticed that too, I guess all our training in Chicory Forest paid off," she took another mouthful.

"Must have done," replied Tripp with his mouth full; he swallowed, "I mean, I swear it's only meant to take a few hours to get out of that place?"

Rose shrugged, she was too hungry to be bothered right now.

"Do you mind if I join you?" somebody asked her. She looked up to see an incredibly old, yet rather sprightly looking old man, with very thick lenses in his bifocals, and a rather alarming moustache. He was wearing a lab coat. She swallowed yet another mouthful before smiling and shifting along the bench slightly, "Please do," she smiled at him.

"Thank you ever so much!" the old man replied, before taking a sip of his tea, "it gets ever so crowded in here these days!" he told them joyfully.

Rose and Tripp fell into an awkward silence; the man's friendliness rendered them speechless.

He sipped at his tea again before exclaiming, "How rude of me not to introduce myself! My name is Professor Willow," he extended a hand to each of them, and Rose was forced to kick Tripp under the table, who wasn't hiding his urge to laugh particularly well.

"I'm Rose," she said, "and this is my friend, Tripp."

"Aaah wonderful!" Professor Willow exclaimed, rubbing his palms together, as if Rose had told him something really quite amusing; she exchanged a worried glance with Tripp.

"You may have heard of me," Professor Willow said proudly, sticking out his unimpressive chest, "I conduct very important research on evolution and I have been known to dabble in the science of the Pokémon Egg!"

"Ooh really?" Rose asked, praying that she sounded interested; she aimed another kick at Tripp, who hadn't yet found his voice, but was staring unabashedly at the eccentric old man.

"Pokémon Eggs?" Tripp finally asked Professor Willow, as he took another mouthful of noodles.

"Indeed!" exclaimed the Professor, seemingly pleased to have an audience. He leant in close to them, as if he were unveiling clandestine information.

"In my bag," he whispered, "I have four Pokémon Eggs."

He bent down under the table and took one out of his bag, placing it on the table between them. It was oval in shape and pearl white in colour, but in the light from the lamp overhead, it emitted a pinkish sheen.

Rose immediately became interested; she had never seen a Pokémon Egg before.

"What kind of Pokémon will this hatch into Professor?" she asked eagerly.

"That's just it…" Professor Willow said, still in his hushed voice, "I don't know!"

He then let out such a loud squawk of laughter that Tripp spilled his noodle soup all down his front in alarm. Seeing the mutinous expression on his face, Rose too began to laugh, and Professor Willow, believing she was laughing at what he had said, continued.

"The thing with Pokémon Eggs," he said, "is that for them to hatch, they need to be active; that is, jostled around an awful lot."

"Really?" Rose asked, interested again. Tripp rolled his eyes; he had never met anyone who craved information as much as she did.

"Why yes," the Professor said; he began to stroke his moustache, as though he were thinking very profoundly about something.

"My laboratory is in Tarragon City; as you are trainers, I assume that you will be making your way there at some point? There is a course a most prestigious Gym!"

"Yeah, we will be," Tripp told the old man, dabbing at his noodle stained front with a napkin.

"Well! Then it's sorted!" the old man exclaimed, clapping his hands in glee.

"Er – what's sorted Professor?" Rose asked, raising an eyebrow.

The Professor looked at her as though she were really quite dim. He then proceeded to use a voice that suggested he thought she didn't understand the language.

"Because. You. Are. Pokémon. Trainers," he began, pronouncing each word with care. Tripp couldn't help but let out a bark of laughter, he had never seen Rose look so humiliated, "It. Would. Mean. That. The. Eggs. Will. Hatch. Faster. If. _You_. Take. Them."

"What?" Tripp asked, "You're going to _give_ us these Pokémon Eggs?"

"Why young man," the Professor said, mistaking Tripp's surprise for disgust "it would be an_honour_ to take these eggs with you, God _alone_ knows what Pokémon may be concealed in its yolky depths!"

"We'll take them," Rose smiled, somewhat sarcastically, desperate to be rid of the Professor.

"Wonderful!" the Professor Willow cried, seemingly unaware of her cold front. He buried under the table again, and brought out another egg, identical to the first.

"I really must get going, I told young Elliot I would meet him at Hyssop Lake, the poor boy hasn't a clue, he believes he's discovered something - probably the nest of a 'Legendary Pokémon'" the Professor shook his head at 'Elliot's' supposed stupidity.

"So goodbye for now young trainers! May your journey be full of hardships that make the happy moments all the more significant…and don't forget to drop by and show me what these _astounding _Eggs hatch into!"

The old man gave the flabbergasted teenagers a wave, before draining his tea-cup and hobbling out of the café.

Tripp blinked at Rose, "What the hell just happened?"

"I have no idea," she answered, picking up an egg in her hands and examining it closely; it was far heavier than she expected, and warm to the touch, "I found him very rude and obtrusive…but he _did_appear to just give us a Pokémon each…"

"But can we actually keep it once it hatches?" Tripp asked, confused.

Rose shrugged, "I haven't a clue, he never said he wanted them back, just wanted to know what Pokémon hatched from this Egg."

Tripp laughed, "That's fine by me!"

"Me too! Shall we find the Gym?" Rose asked, standing up.

Tripp nodded; they placed their Eggs carefully in their rucksacks, before squeezing their way out of the crowded café, into the dazzling sunlight.

-o-

After happily exploring the city, Rose and Tripp came across the Pokémon Gym. It wasn't particularly large, a smaller building than the Pokémon Centre, but the fact it was constructed of glass alone, meant it stood out; especially as the sunlight was reflecting off it in a way that hurt their eyes.

"Look, there's a note on the door!" Tripp pointed out eagerly; they edged closer.

_**Gone to Hyssop Lake - back before four! Elliot and Buizel.**_

"Four o'clock?" Tripp cried, "What're we meant to do until then?"

Rose however was studying the sign intently.

"I believe this is the Elliot the Professor was referring to."

"Oh yeah!" Tripp remembered, as he sat on the floor outside the Gym, ready to wait.

"Well, there's no use in waiting here," Rose concluded, "It's only half past one!"

"What shall we do then?" Tripp asked; he was quite happy to sit there and wait - he was desperate to challenge his first Gym.

"I think we should go to Hyssop Lake," Rose stated, "We can train on the way, convince the Gym Leader to come back with us, and then challenge him."

Tripp stood up and Rose smiled; she knew the prospect of training wouldn't leave her friend idle.

"What're we waiting for? Let's go!" he said, physically dragging her by the hand.

-o-

"Wow! Pichu's looking really tough!" Tripp said, impressed after having watched Pichu knock a Rattata out with a single Shock Wave.

Rose grinned, "He's coming along nicely isn't he?"

She tried to return him to his Pokéball, but he wasn't having any of it. Rose let him stay on her shoulder, she didn't mind really.

Hyssop Town wasn't far from Fennel City, just a ten minute walk along a dirt road. The tussocks of grass along the way meant that there were plenty of opportunities for training.

"We need to buy some Potions once we get to Hyssop," Tripp frowned as he rummaged in his bag, "I've almost run out of the ones we bought in Fennel!"

"What?! How?" Rose asked, shocked.

"I dunno," Tripp shrugged, "we _have_ done a lot of training!"

"I know, but you don't need to use a Potion after every battle!" Rose explained, "Only when the Pokémon begins to get tired."

"Oh…whoops," Tripp laughed, "I just didn't want them to be hurt!"

Rose laughed at him.

"Such a big heart…"

"Yeah, yeah," Tripp answered, rolling his eyes at his friend.

-o-

Hyssop Town wasn't unlike Chicory, in that there was almost nothing to do there. Eager to get to the Lake and find Elliot, Rose and Tripp didn't linger, but proceeded straight through, until they reached the giant body of sparkling water.

Upon arriving, they heard both raised and defensive voices. A boy not much older than them was confronting two individuals, both with rather vivid hair; one bright blue, the other acid green.

"Well I've told you now," the boy was saying, his back was turned to them, "you can't catch Dewgong on a rod, so what're you still doing here?"

The man with bright blue hair glanced uneasily at the one whose hair was acid green; he however, didn't appear to have an answer and so merely shrugged in reply.

"Go on then, scram!" the boy told them. The men shuffled past Rose and Tripp, fishing rods over their shoulders, scowls evident on their faces.

"Hi," the boy smiled, turning to Rose and Tripp once the men were out of sight. Running his hand through his light brown hair, he said, "_No_ idea what was going on there – I was told there was some commotion and came to investigate…"

"What happened?" Tripp asked, interested.

"Well, those two, whoever they were, were apparently ordering people to evacuate the lake, as they had 'business' to attend to," the boy said, frowning, "sounded rather fishy to me."

"They were trying to catch Dewgong did you say?" Rose asked, her eyes narrowed.

"Elliot!" a familiar voice wheezed, "there you are! Well, was it the lair of some undiscovered legendary?" Professor Willow hobbled into sight, much to Rose's dismay.

"No Grandpa," Elliot sighed, "I _told_ you, I heard there was some commotion and had to come and investigate; it's my duty as Gym Leader and the Hyssop Lake Warden!"

"_You're_ Elliot, the Fennel City Gym Leader?" Tripp asked.

"I am!" Elliot smiled, "Were you hoping to challenge the Gym today?"

"You'd be better to conduct some research than spending all day in that Gym of yours," Professor Willow reproved his grandson.

"Yes Grandpa, I know," Elliot sighed in exasperation.

"An absolute waste of time!" the old man continued, "all that money spent on your education and you battle your days away!"

Elliot took a patient breath, "Grandpa, it's nearing four o'clock, didn't you have to meet Professor Birch at five?"

"Yes, yes I know!" replied the Professor airily, in a voice that implied that he had not remembered at all, "I'll drop by again tomorrow Elliot, and this time you're going to come with me to the lab, I'll show you how you _could_ be spending your time!"

"Okay Grandpa, see you tomorrow," Elliot said, teeth gritted.

"Indeed, I want you to be ready nice and early!" The Professor waggled his finger condescendingly at his grandson, before walking back towards Hyssop, without even having glanced at Rose or Tripp.

"My grandfather," Elliot announced, as though it pained him to be related to such a man.

"We met him at the Pokémon Centre," Rose said delicately, "he's…charming?"

"You don't need to defend him in front of me!" Elliot laughed, "I've always been a disappointment to him as you've probably gathered – I was more interested in being with Pokémon than studying them."

"Can't say I blame you!" Tripp grinned, "So what were you saying to those men? Weird looking weren't they?" he added.

Elliot frowned, and pushed his shaggy brown hair out of his eyes.

"I have no idea who they were, but they were shady all right…"

"Why?" Rose inquired, "Is it unusual to go fishing here?"

"No of course not!" Elliot replied, "I mean, it's a famous fishing spot, the lake's full of water type Pokémon…but I don't know, these guys were odd, they were too…I don't know, I can't quite explain it."

"Weird?" Tripp offered.

Elliot and Rose laughed.

"Weird indeed," Elliot said, "but they're gone now! So I can go back to wasting my time at the Gym," he said, the corners of his mouth twitching.

"We'll come back with you!" Tripp exclaimed in excitement.

"No we won't," Rose smiled, "we're going to stay here and train."

The two boys looked at her, and then at each other.

"Keen isn't she?" Tripp laughed.

"No," Rose replied shortly, "I just don't want to be humiliated in my first Gym battle; I hear Elliot's Buizel is quite the battler," she smiled at him.

Elliot blushed, "He's a good Pokémon, he doesn't back down easy."

Tripp rolled his eyes, "Fine! We'll stay a while!"

"I'd better get back," Elliot remarked, checking his watch, "I'll see you guys later?" he asked.

"Of course!" Rose smiled, waving at him as he made his way back towards Hyssop.

After having rented a fishing rod each, Rose and Tripp sat on a secluded bank, already bored.

"Why won't anything bite?" Tripp groaned; the sun was incredibly hot and his t-shirt was already sticking uncomfortably to his back.

"No id-" Rose started to say, before her rod gave a violent lurch, almost causing her to let go of it in shock.

"Whoa!" she yelled, as a wild Horsea launched itself from the lake, onto the bank where they had been idly sat.

"Horsea?" Tripp gaped, "they're - they're _rare_!"

"Chu!" Pichu squeaked, bounding to the floor from where he was still perched on Rose's shoulder, sparks flying from his little pink cheek pouches.

"Carefully now, Pichu!" Rose said, "We don't want to make it faint!"

She was determined to catch it. Pichu nodded in comprehension, his little body tensed.

"Use Thunderwave!" Rose told him, mentally choosing a battle strategy.

Horsea however was too fast and dodged the attack, before using its Smokescreen, blinding both Rose and Pichu.

"Argh!" Rose yelled, trying to clear the air before her with her hands. Before she could react, the Horsea had used Bubblebeam, and knocked Pichu, who couldn't see a thing, to the ground. He got determinedly up again however, and turned to Rose for instruction.

"Easy does it Pichu," she told him, her eyes narrowed, "show it your Pound!"

The attack hit this time, and Horsea was temporarily winded.

"Now, Pichu! Thunderwave!" Horsea was unable to dodge the attack this time, and was rendered paralysed.

"Yeah!" Rose shouted in delight, "Tackle it Pichu!"

Pichu's Tackle was well placed, and Horsea, finding it hard to move due to its paralysis, could only fire a badly aimed Water Gun, which Pichu avoided with ease.

"One more Pound!" Rose yelled.

The attack hit, and Horsea keeled over, exhausted. Rose rummaged hurriedly in her bag for a Pokéball, and just as the sea horse Pokémon was beginning to right itself, she threw it.

Rose, Tripp and Pichu all held their breath in anticipation as the Pokéball wobbled once, twice, three times, before giving a resounding_clunk_.

Rose blinked, unable to believe it, before laughing merrily, and picking up the Pokéball.

"We did it!" she shrieked, as Pichu jumped up on her shoulder.

"Way to go!" Tripp told her, extremely impressed with how she managed the battle.

"Thanks!" she said, grinning at him, "I didn't think I was going to be able to catch it! Its speed stat must be so high!"

"Pichu Pi!" Pichu said happily.

"You're right!" Rose said, "I _did_ plan to catch a water type next!"

The group were in high spirits after Rose's success, and decided to move to a sunnier patch in the water where, to their delight, the water Pokémon took the bait almost instantly.

-o-

After almost two hours of training, they were thoroughly worn out. Pichu, Horsea and Psyduck were all looking and feeling much tougher. There had even been a tense moment where Tripp's Weedle, boosted by all its training, began to evolve; they all stood and watched in fascination, before Tripp came to his senses and startled Weedle by shouting "NO!" and waving his arms erratically.

Fortunately, this disrupted the evolution, as Tripp was intent on having a Weedle with a sting as deadly as the one that Nurse Hope had mentioned.

The attempted evolution only raised Rose and Tripp's spirits further. It was proof that although the physical changes in their Pokémon were insignificant, they were most definitely growing stronger.

After returning to Fennel City and making use of the Trainer's Lodge once more to fill their empty stomachs, Rose and Tripp set up camp off the road joining Fennel and Hyssop.

"We never returned to the Gym in the end," Tripp yawned, snuggling down in his sleeping bag. Their tent mouths were opposite each other, unzipped, so that they could talk before going to sleep.

"It doesn't matter," Rose told him, closing her eyes, "we'll go first thing in the morning…"

There was a flash of light as Pichu managed to escape from his Pokéball. Rose laughed softly.

"Go on then," she murmured to her Pokémon, "you can join me."

She yawned before zipping up her tent.

"Night Tripp," she said.

"Night Rose," he replied, zipping up his own tent, and closing his eyes sleepily.

-o-

Tripp awoke abruptly in the night, drenched in a cold sweat. He'd had a dream that left him literally gasping for breath. The men with the unusual hair from the Lake were trying to catch him and Rose on their fishing rods; the teenagers were desperately trying to hide behind rocks and lake weeds, but the sharp ends of the rods kept finding and pursuing them. They realised as they were trying to swim away, that they were under water and therefore couldn't breathe, and so the men finally managed to hook them – and Tripp woke with a gasp. He shuddered.

"It was only a dream," he told himself, closing his eyes and trying to forget it. The faces of the men floated before him however, and he shuddered again, there was something in their eyes he didn't like; they were strangely blank, despite their determination to have the lake to themselves, and it made him uncomfortable, and although it shamed him to admit it, scared.

He sat up again, and groped in the darkness until he found the Pokéballs on his belt. In a flash of light that half blinded him, he released Psyduck and Weedle. Their presence comforted him. As they nestled in closer to him, he felt his breathing steady.

"It was only a dream," he repeated, before he drifted off to sleep once more.

By the time Tripp finally woke up the following morning, Rose had already packed away her tent, and had laid out their customary breakfast of bread rolls and milkshake, only this time it was banana flavoured.

"God Tripp!" she exclaimed upon noticing the dark circles around his eyes, "You look dreadful!"

Tripp took a swig of milkshake and grimaced.

"Banana?" he asked, "I hate banana…"

"Well it's my favourite," Rose said, her lips twitching, "and Psyduck likes it too by the looks of it," she added.

True, the duck Pokémon had picked up Tripp's abandoned flask, and was guzzling at the milk happily. Tripp looked towards Psyduck, but didn't say a word.

"Are you all right?" Rose frowned; Tripp was unusually quiet.

"Yeah…I'm fine," he said, before shaking his head briskly in an attempt to wake himself up, "bad night's sleep, that's all," he smiled, before taking a bite of bread.

"Well, I've eaten," Rose said, "so you eat your breakfast, I'll pack away your tent, and we can make our way to the Gym?"

Tripp's eyes widened considerably, he really wasn't up for battling right now.

"Are you sure you're okay"" Rose asked him, growing concerned.

"I'm fine, I'm fine!" he insisted, "I just bit my lip…"

Rose surveyed him closely, but chose not to pursue the matter.

With everything packed, and the bread rolls eaten – Tripp, who didn't have much of an appetite, was aided by Psyduck – they made their way back to Fennel City.

"We stocked up on medicine yesterday evening," Rose said, checking her rucksack, "the Pokémon are well fed and rested…there's nothing else for it!"

She turned to Tripp excitedly, and was alarmed to see that his tanned skin was tinged green.

"Tripp! What's the matter? Are you ill?" she asked, worry evident in her tone.

"I-I'm fine," Tripp croaked, "I just need to sit down."

He slid to the floor, feeling faint and clammy, his back resting against the glass panels of the Pokémon Gym.

He then became angry with himself; the dream hadn't even been that _bad_; it must have been the lack of sleep that was affecting him so badly. That and the banana milkshake, he thought grimly to himself. As Rose knelt down next to him in concern, he realised he needed to snap out of it.

"I'm really all right," he smiled at her, "just a bad night's sleep, we had quite a busy day yesterday…"

Tripp had regained his normal colour, much to the relief of his friend.

"Well, if you're sure?" she asked him encouragingly.

He nodded; no way was he going to let something like this stand in his way of becoming the Champion. He ran a hand through his dark hair, his face a mask of determination as they walked through the sliding glass doors, and into Fennel City's Pokémon Gym.

**AN:**

**Bet you want to know what happens right? ;D drop me a little review and you might find out… (:**

**Tripp was right to be freaked out by those men…they're pretty dodge.**

**Love A x**


	4. Chapter 4

The heavy glass doors clanged shut behind them, and the sound reverberated through the silent Gym ominously.

"Welcome," came the voice of Elliot, echoing slightly in the vast, empty space.

"H-hi!" Rose stammered; she suddenly felt incredibly nervous.

"It's you two!" Elliot smiled, pushing his hair out of his eyes – a habit of his, "I assume you got carried away training last night?" he asked them, his eyes twinkling in understanding.

"Yeah, sorry about that," Rose laughed, her confidence returning.

"I take it those two men didn't return?" Elliot asked with a frown.

"No, no, it was all clear," Rose told him; she felt Tripp stiffen next to her at the mention of the men.

Tripp himself gulped, all feelings of determination abandoned.

"In that case, assuming your training wasn't disturbed by any freaky looking individuals, I'm looking forward to testing your strength," Elliot grinned back.

The whole time, Tripp had not spoken a word; this didn't go unnoticed by Rose.

"Who wants to go first?" Elliot called to them, enlarging his Pokéball.

Rose looked towards Tripp, who was an unnatural shade of white. He swallowed with difficulty, and managed to croak, "You go."

Rose glanced at him worriedly, but stepped forward all the same.

"I will," she said assertively, her clear voice ringing through the Gym.

"Right," Elliot said, nodding at her, "we will use just one Pokémon each, is that understood?"

Rose could only nod; her throat now felt rather tight.

"Okay then, I choose you – Buizel!" Elliot threw his Pokéball, and in a flash, Buizel appeared on the battle ground.

"Zel!" it growled, poised for battle.

"Go for it Pichu!" Rose commanded; now that she was in battle mode, her nervousness evaporated. Pichu bounded from her shoulder onto the floor to face Buizel, his little fists clenched, sparks flying freely from his pink cheeks.

"Aqua Jet, Buizel!" Elliot yelled, not hesitating to begin.

"Pichu, Agility!"

The smaller Pokémon's speed caused the Aqua Jet to miss. But Elliot wasn't fazed; almost instantaneously, he commanded Buizel to use Quick Attack, which hit Pichu with full force.

"Don't back down!" Rose told her Pokémon encouragingly, "Use Thunderwave!"

"Dodge it Buizel! Use Aqua Jet!"

"Show it your Shockwave!"

The water and electricity collided in mid-air, neither hitting their opponent. The attacks backfired and flew in every direction, but both Pokémon managed to escape unscathed.

"Pichu, Pound!"

Pichu's attack hit and Buizel flinched in pain.

"Now use Thunderwave!" Rose commanded, grinning as she felt the adrenaline course through her veins.

Buizel became paralysed, and Rose knew it was now or never.

"Use Shockwave Pichu!"

Pichu screwed his eyes shut in concentration, and the biggest volt of electricity yet surged from his cheeks. Buizel tried in vain to withstand the attack, but it was too strong for the water type Pokémon, and he promptly fainted.

Elliot returned Buizel to its Pokéball without a word, his eyes fixed on Rose. The only sounds that could be heard were the heavy, ragged breaths of her and Pichu.

"That," Elliot started, "was one of the best thought out strategies I have ever come across," his stony face cracked into a grin, "I am wholly happy to present you with this Rapids Badge, Rose. You fully earned it."

Rose took the small triangular shaped badge from Elliot. She was still speechless that the battle was over so quickly, and that she had _won_.

Elliot's face turned serious once more, and he regarded Rose through calculating eyes.

"You'll go far," he told her simply, before retreating to the back of the Gym where he kept his medicines. Rose felt herself blush deeply at the Gym Leader's words.

"You're up next then Tripp?" Elliot called over his shoulder, as he went about reviving Buizel.

Rose looked towards her friend once more - in the excitement of her victory, she had forgotten that there was something not quite right with him. He was still an odd colour, although this time his skin was more grey than white. But he looked horrible - there was no denying that.

"Y-yes," he reluctantly told Elliot, "I'm next."

-o-

"Tripp!" Rose yelled, running after him as quickly as she could. He was far taller than her however, and she couldn't keep up with his loping run.

She gave up and crouched over, attempting to relieve the stitch in her side. When she looked up, Tripp was nowhere to be seen.

Rose made her way miserably to the Pokémon Centre, where she had Pichu healed fully. Whilst she was waiting she stocked up on Poffins for both her and Tripp's Pokémon.

She went outside and lowered herself onto the nearest bench, massaging her temples, unable to believe quite what had happened in Tripp's Gym battle. She knew he wasn't quite right; he clearly had something on his mind. Firstly she had put it down to nerves, but Tripp wasn't the kind of person who got nervous; she knew him.

As she went over his battle in her mind, she closed her eyes in horror. Never before had she seen Tripp battle so badly, and Psyduck too performed his worst, due to his confusion in his trainer's incompetence. It had only taken two Quick Attacks and a Swift to make Psyduck faint, and Psyduck itself didn't manage to hit Buizel once.

Rose sighed heavily. She knew Tripp would be feeling extremely ashamed and embarrassed, exemplified by the fact he ran from her. She leant back on the bench and closed her eyes, concentrating only warmth of the sun upon her face and neck.

-o-

Tripp continued to run until he reached the outskirts of Chicory Forest. His lungs ached and his legs had started to cramp, but he didn't care. He needed to punish himself for his failure. A failure. That's all he was now.

He cringed as he remembered the battle. He hated how weak he was, how his fear of a dream had created an obstacle in attaining his ultimate goal. He sat down, with his back against the trunk of a young birch tree, and hid his face in his hands.

All day Tripp stayed in this position, ignoring the growls and protests his empty stomach was making. Although he hated to admit it, what stung the most was that Rose didn't lose; Rose _won_ her battle, and it made him feel so stupid. He knew that he was perfectly capable of winning that battle, and that fact that he had lost was making his insides churn. But he couldn't have a re-match, not against someone he had lost to so drastically, in front of his best friend who had won the same battle with apparent ease, just minutes before he humiliated himself. Tripp shook his head in disgust.

"You don't deserve to be a Pokémon trainer," he told himself venomously, "real Pokémon trainers wouldn't crumble like you did…"

-o-

Rose was exhausted and close to tears. She had spent five hours searching for Tripp, in all of Fennel City, Hyssop Town and even around Hyssop Lake. He hadn't answered his phone, and so Rose concluded that he must have gone on further without her. As this thought crossed her mind, she began to seethe with anger.

_How_dare_he?_ she thought mutinously, _how_dare _he make me worry like this?_

She stirred the coffee she had bought at the Trainer's Lodge with a little too much force due to her anger, and she caused the cup to tip and spill.

She groaned and covered her face with her hands as she felt the boiling liquid soak through the leg of her jeans.

"I'll buy you another one," she heard someone in front of her say quietly.

She moved her hands from her face - she couldn't believe it.

"_Tripp_!" she all but screamed, causing a few trainers to turn their heads in the direction of her voice and laugh. Rose appeared not to notice, but launched herself at her friend, enveloping him in a bone-crushing hug.

"Thank _God_ you're all right!" she exclaimed, hugging him tighter still. So relieved was she to find him well, that she had forgotten her previous train of thought. When she remembered it however, hell broke loose.

"You stupid _twat_!" she shrieked suddenly, punching every part of him available to her at that moment.

"Ow! Rose! What the -?" Tripp began to say, startled by her sudden change in mood. He was interrupted however, by Rose's wild exclamations.

"_Firstly_, you ran off without a word, _secondly_ you disappear for the whole fucking day, and just to _really_ turn my hair grey, YOU WOULDN'T ANSWER YOUR PHONE. Why the _fuck_ did you ignore my calls?!"

She glared at him, her brown eyes glinting with rage, her curly hair wild and falling into her face.

"I-I'm sorry," Tripp started, "I know I was wrong, I –"

"WRONG?" she screamed again, Tripp blushed deeply, everyone in the café was now staring at them, open mouthed and enjoying the scene.

"Let's get out of h-" he began to say, but was once again interrupted by Rose, who was acting really quite deranged now.

"Not likely Tripp," she spat, "you owe me a coffee," she folded her arms over her chest, continuing to glare at him.

"W-What?" he asked her in confusion, wondering what on earth she was talking about now.

"My coffee," she said, in a voice unsettlingly calm after her manic screaming moments before. Tripp continued to gape at her.

"You said you'd buy me another, and to be honest, I think I deserve it after today."

A bunch of rowdy trainers simultaneously called "Ooo!" at her. She silenced them with a look.

"Of course I'll buy you one," Tripp mumbled, willing to do anything in order to escape the café.

-o-

They set up camp in the same spot as the night before. After her initial screaming match, Tripp was finding it extremely difficult getting Rose to talk to him.

"Look, I've said I'm sorry, I don't know what else –" he attempted again.

"Tripp," Rose said, startling him; he hadn't expected his reasoning to work, "I know you're sorry. But I don't think it's particularly helpful if I can't trust you not to run off every time you lose a battle."

She knew this comment would cut him deeply, but she was beyond caring. She wanted him to feel some of the pain she had felt during the long and trying day.

Tripp opened his mouth, an angry response already formed, but then he realised that everything she said was true. But he had to tell her, to make her understand.

"I-I know," he replied dejectedly.

"You do?" Rose turned to him in shock where she had been unrolling her sleeping bag.

"You see…I was kind of feeling a bit odd all morning anyway."

Rose frowned as she pondered what he had just told her; she remembered his stifling silences and grey face.

"What's wrong Tripp?" she asked, her concern from earlier that day returning with full force.

"Last night…I-I guess I had a sort of nightmare," Tripp mumbled, blushing a deep crimson.

It was only due to worry and loyalty that Rose did not burst out laughing at this statement.

"What kind of nightmare?" she asked, deeply confused as to what could have affected her friend so much.

He took a deep breath.

"It wasn't particularly bad," he began slowly, "it's just those guys from the lake, they were in it, and…and their eyes, I dunno, it just really…affected me."

He blushed again, but raised his head, so that his bright blue eyes met her chocolate brown ones.

Rose's heart swelled with compassion for her friend, who had kept his concerns quiet due to the fact he didn't want to her to think less of him. She also felt a jolt in her stomach when they locked eyes, one that she couldn't quite explain. Confused, she broke the gaze and tried to change the topic.

"Tripp, about the battle…" Tripp himself looked away from her at this point.

"I know you could have won it easily," she told him truthfully.

"You do?" he asked, evidently surprised. Rose blinked.

"Of course! It was obvious you weren't yourself today, I just forgot about it in my worry…and anger," she added with a laugh.

"I suppose I'll ask for a re-match tomorrow," Tripp sighed, before saying, "you need to learn to control your temper by the way…"

He rubbed his arm where he was sure her punch was going to leave a bruise.

"You're such a wimp," she laughed at him, wriggling into her sleeping bag.

Unfortunately her jokey comment reminded Tripp of something he _really_ wished he could forget.

"You don't think I'm a wimp do you?" he asked, frowning, "I mean, I know it's lame to have a nightmare…"

Rose interrupted him sharply.

"Tripp, you are not a wimp. The more I think about it, the more I agree with you. Those men _were_ up to something – and their eyes…they were odd. I know what you mean, they were cold…blank."

She shuddered.

"They're not our problem Rose," Tripp smiled, looking her in the eyes again, causing her stomach to somersault most strangely, "that's what I've been trying to convince myself all day – are you all right?" he suddenly asked her, for she clutched her stomach in apparent discomfort.

"I just felt…a bit weird," she admitted.

Tripp looked at her closely, before shrugging.

"Maybe there's something going around?" he suggested, "might help explain why I felt so weird today?"

Rose pondered this, but she didn't feel ill, just…odd. She didn't feel up for discussing it however, and so zipped up her tent.

"Doesn't matter, g'night Tripp," she said, feeling suddenly exhausted from the day's events.

"Night," she half heard him reply, before she slipped into a deep sleep.

-o-

The next morning, after a lot of (chocolate) milkshake, Tripp was feeling determined and confident. He and Rose had spent a long while discussing tactics and they decided that Weedle would be a better choice for the battle, due to his poison abilities.

When they entered the Gym for the second time, Elliot tried hard to conceal his surprise.

"Tripp?" he asked, smiling slightly.

This smile incensed Tripp, and made his desire to win burn all the more strongly.

"Yes. I've come for a re-match."

His voice did not waver, nor did he take his eyes from the Gym Leader's.

"Okay…" Elliot replied hesitantly; most of the time when trainers demanded a re-match they were a nervous wreck – Tripp's confidence was making Elliot himself feel nervous. He shook his head in denial; of course he wasn't nervous. Rose was the first trainer he had lost to so easily in a while, but she was something special. There was no way her friend could do the same.

"We will use –"

"One Pokémon each, I know," Tripp finished, impatient to start.

Elliot narrowed his eyes; he did not like his battle routine interrupted.

"In that case, I choose Buizel," Elliot snarled, releasing his Pokémon from its Pokéball.

"Go Weedle!" Tripp yelled. Elliot raised his eyebrows at his opponent's choice, but didn't say a word.

"Aqua Jet, Buizel!" Elliot called almost lazily. The attack hit, but not critically, and Weedle was able to right itself quickly.

"Use your Poison Sting!" Tripp commanded; Weedle's attack hit Buizel squarely in the chest, but Elliot wasn't concerned, a Weedle's Poison Sting wouldn't damage his prize Pokémon too much.

However, as the battle raged on, Elliot's arrogance meant that he failed to notice something very strange; he knew that Buizel was poisoned, but didn't do anything about it, as he knew from experience that his Pokémon was barely affected by that particular attack. But Buizel was tiring, fast. It was so exhausted, that Weedle's last three Tackles had hit it. Before Elliot had time to consider what was wrong with his Buizel, it suddenly fainted.

Elliot was in shock. He heard Rose's scream of delight, and Tripp's laughter, as though they were very far distant. He heard a loud roaring in his ears, and his stomach felt like it was forever plummeting. He had lost. Lost because he was so sure he was going to win. Weedle? How could his Buizel, the Pokémon he had spent countless hours training, be defeated by a mere Weedle's Poison Sting?

He swallowed with difficulty as he remembered the League Rules. As a Gym Leader, he was not permitted to act grudgingly when defeated, but to accept that there would always be somebody stronger, and to use the experience to become improve his technique. He sighed to himself, before raising his head and smiling at the teenagers on the other side of the Gym.

"Congratulations," he said, pleased to find that his voice sounded normal, "I must say, that battle took me by surprise…" he managed a smile. Tripp grinned back at him.

"My Weedle is quite the fighter," he told Elliot, beaming.

The Gym Leader frowned.

"It's true, I've never known Buizel to react so badly to a Poison Sting…from a Beedrill maybe, but never a Weedle…unless…" Elliot's eyes widened in comprehension.

"I don't let him evolve," Tripp finished for him.

"Wow. That's a very advanced tactic – I forgot it was possible."

Elliot was impressed against his will. He had underestimated Tripp, but was rather glad he had done so. He wouldn't be content with losing to a trainer whose skill was mediocre.

"I suppose I'm going to have to award my second Rapids Badge in two days," Elliot laughed, all ill-feeling forgotten as he presented it to Tripp.

Rose smiled warmly at the animation in Tripp's eyes as he pinned his first badge proudly on his jacket.

-o-

It was fast becoming a habit of Tripp's to describe every detail of his latest battle. Rose was so pleased that he had won, and that they were finally leaving Fennel City (which she had grown quite resentful towards) later that day, that she was quite happy to let him chatter.

They found themselves once again in the Trainer's Lodge, where they stocked up on milkshake and bread rolls, and ordered a coffee each before planning the next part of their journey.

"And that last Tackle! I mean –"

"Tripp," Rose interrupted, "do you need to buy any more Potions before we leave Fennel? Because according to this map, we have to find our way through a small cave before we arrive in Jimbu City…"

Tripp looked slightly disappointed when he realised he was no longer permitted to analyse his battle, but the prospect of moving on excited him almost as much.

"Yeah, I think I have enough! I want to get some more Pokéballs though, in case there are any Geodude in that cave!"

Rose pondered this.

"There probably will be, Geodude isn't rare, it's just hard make it evolve."

Tripp ignored this, he didn't want to be put off having a Geodude – he had wanted one far too long. He drained his coffee before standing up.

"You ready?" he asked Rose. She too drained her coffee before nodding.

"Let's go," she smiled, as Pichu hopped from the bench to his usual perch – her shoulder.

-o-

It was about four o'clock when Rose and Tripp arrived at the mouth of the small cave, after having navigated their way around the considerable Hyssop Lake. As they entered the cave, a flock of Zubat flew low over their heads, causing Tripp to shiver uncomfortably.

"What's wrong?" Rose asked him; it was too dark to see very far in front of her.

"I don't like not knowing what I'm going to walk into," he told her, the back of his neck feeling very cold and prickly.

"I know what you mean," she said, looking back towards the cave entrance wistfully, "but according to the map it's not a very big cave…I say the sooner we move, the better."

Tripp nodded in agreement, then realised she probably couldn't see.

"Yeah," he told her, taking a purposeful step forwards, "let's do it."

The teenagers moved very gingerly over the uneven ground, so as not to slip and fall. At one point however, the ground sloped sharply, and Rose let out a shriek as she lost her footing. Fortunately, Tripp was close behind and managed to grab her around the waist, thus preventing the fall. The cave was pitch black, and both of them were shocked at their sudden proximity.

Tripp, in awe at his own daring, leant forward slightly so that his lips brushed Rose's. She jumped back in shock and embarrassment, believing it to have been an accident, and Tripp's heart sank.

"Thanks," she told him, extremely relieved that he could not see her blushing.

"What for?" he asked, feeling rather disorientated. Did he just try and _kiss_ her?

"For catching me," she told him, laughing slightly to cover her awkwardness, "This place is a death trap!"

Tripp managed to laugh along with her, feeling more stupid by the minute. But when they reached the end of the slope and the ground levelled out, Rose took his hand in hers. She didn't say a word, as she wasn't quite sure herself why she did it; she knew she wouldn't have dared in daylight. But she liked the feeling of his hand around hers; it was large, and very warm.

Tripp almost slipped over himself when Rose took his hand. He was so shocked that he couldn't bring himself to say anything. But he did let himself wonder…did she like him?

They continued to edge their way through the cave hand in hand. Tripp's mind had been working furiously. True, she didn't kiss him when she had the chance, but perhaps she thought it was an accident? She _did_ take his hand, and was making no effort to remove it…maybe now was the perfect time to tell her how he felt? The darkness, although it made him feel unsure with his footing, made him very confident that now was the time to tell her.

"Rose?" he asked, slowing his steps slightly, his heart beating uncomfortably in his throat.

"Yea-AAARGH!" she screamed, causing Tripp to jump backwards, and fall flat on his back in terror.

"W-what?" he stuttered from the ground, "What is it?"

"I don't know!" Rose whimpered, walking backwards and standing heavily on Tripp's arm.

"OUCH!" he yelled, yanking his arm from under her foot.

"Sorry!" she shrieked, bending down to where she thought he was sprawled on the floor.

"Geodude," something grunted in front of them.

They both yelled in fright, scrabbling to stand up when they heard the unexpected noise.

"Geodude?" it said again, as though asking what all the fuss was about.

"Wait…" Tripp whispered, "Is that what I thought it was?"

They were both silent for a moment, listening out, and grasping each other in fear.

"Dude, Geodude," the voice said again.

"A Geodude?" Tripp yelled in delight, "I gotta catch it!"

He let go of Rose and began groping for his Pokéball belt.

"Hang on Tripp," Rose said, "there's something not quite right…why isn't it attacking us?" she asked, desperately trying to adjust her eyes to the dark.

"Geodude, Geo," the Pokémon grunted.

"What was that?" Rose asked, "You're trapped?"

"Duuuude," the Pokémon replied, sounding rather defeated.

Rose and Tripp fell to their knees, trying to locate the Pokémon, whose voice sounded as though it was coming from the ground.

"Here he is!" Tripp said, after having located the Pokémon due to its flailing arms, "I think…" he said, feeling around, "I think there's a rock on _top_ of it."

"Geo! Geodude!" the Pokémon told them anxiously.

"Your arms are too short to lift it off?" Tripp asked, the pity discernable in his voice.

"Dude," the Pokémon confirmed sadly.

"We'll help," Rose smiled, although try as she might, she was not strong enough to lift the rock.

"Let me help you," Tripp told her, but even with their combined strength, the rock wouldn't shift.

"It's no use!" Rose cried, "What can we do?"

The Geodude sighed sadly, it seemed as though it had been in this position for a long time.

Tripp hadn't given up however; he felt around the rock once more, judging how wide it was.

"The weight shouldn't be too much of a problem," he told Rose grimly, "but it's tightly wedged between the wall and this huge boulder…"

"Neither of which we can move," Rose concluded in defeat. Tripp however wasn't so quick to give in.

"I assume it fell from above," he thought aloud to himself, "and I think if we move it in the right direction, it'll budge."

The pair tried once more, but Tripp realised that the angle the rock needed to move in, meant that only one of them would have the space to make the manoeuvre. He told Rose this and she frowned - not that Tripp was able to see.

"It had better be you then," she said, "you know you're far stronger than me."

As Tripp rolled up his sleeves and wiped his perspiring forehead, Geodude for the first time in nearly a month felt hope.

After half an hour of careful easing and shoving, Tripp managed to shift the heavy rock up between the wall and boulder, creating a gap large enough for Geodude to slip through.

"Geo! Geo! Geodude dude geo!" the Pokémon cried, wrapping its sturdy stone arms around Tripp, giving him a crushing hug. Geodude was so relieved to be finally free from its stone prison that tears of happiness rolled down its rocky face.

"Geodude!" it told them happily, and Rose laughed.

"Really? You can show us the way out?" she asked the Pokémon.

"Dude!" the Pokémon cried, willing to do anything to help the trainers that freed it.

Geodude took Tripp's hand in his own stone one, and urged him forward. Tripp grabbed Rose's hand with his free one, and the trio made their way unfalteringly through the cave. When they reached the exit, and went to say goodbye to the Geodude, it looked shyly towards the floor.

"Geo…Geodude," it sighed sadly.

"Why don't you want to go back to the cave?" Rose asked in concern, "it's your home!"

Tripp was watching Geodude intently, and had an idea. It wouldn't be right to catch it, as it wasn't so much a wild Pokémon to them now, and Tripp knew he wouldn't feel right subjecting it to battle.

"Geodude?" he asked tentatively, "how would you like to…to come with me? And…maybe…be my Pokémon?"

Geodude looked up at Tripp, and tears of happiness once again rolled down its face. It enveloped its new trainer in another bone-crushing hug, and Rose, laughing, had to prise the Pokémon off her friend, who she feared was struggling from a lack of breath.

With Geodude happily inside a Pokéball, Rose and Tripp made their way over the hill and down to the sprawling mass that was Jimbu City; their charitable act had left their hearts light and their moods contented.

**AN:**

**So Tripp finally got his Geodude! Thank you to everybody that reviews (: If you have an account, I will certainly try and reply to you!**

**And so it begins…Rose may be starting to feel something for her friend: it's all pretty new to her, however, and she hasn't really put two and two together…**

**Love A x**


	5. Chapter 5

Panting slightly, her face caked in dried mud and her long cape in tatters, she placed her hand on the Chamber door and stepped back as it allowed her - and only her - to enter. She shielded her eyes with her blood-stained hands to protect them from the eerie blue glow that the Chamber basked in. The brightness almost blinded her; her eyes had become accustomed to the dark after spending almost three weeks in this colossal cave.

Squinting through her fingers to navigate her way to the centre of the Chamber, Pascalia moved slowly forwards, hardly daring to believe it.

Suspended in mid-air and twinkling slightly was a large blue crystal the size of a plum. The light it emitted illuminated both the Chamber and Pascalia's pale face as she stepped towards it in awe.

She reached out a shaking hand to claim the crystal, the _Draco Silicis_, before narrowing her green eyes as she noticed ancient symbols inscribed on the wall of the Chamber itself. As she examined the symbols however, she relaxed slightly. This obstacle she could overcome with ease, unlike the many that had attempted to detain her from reaching her goal. She quickly translated the ancient language – Draconis – and deciphered the dire warnings given about the power of the crystal.

She smiled mockingly to herself as she reflected on the myth that surrounded Draconis, and the Draco Silicis itself. The dangers surrounding the myth, she had decided, were irrelevant. They only applied to the weak, and weak Pascalia was not. With both this crystal, and the knowledge of the ancient language she possessed, Pascalia knew that her dream was ever closer. She reached out and took the Draco Silicis in her hand – and lightning struck.

-o-

As they made their way down the hill towards Jimbu City, Tripp, feeling confident, decided to question Rose on a matter that he had been going over in his mind.

"Rose?" he asked, as they weaved their way in and out of the thick, clumpy grass.

"Mhmm?" she asked, concentrating too hard to give more of an adequate reply.

Tripp hesitated but then, in a burst of spontaneity, decided to go for it.

"Why did you hold my hand in the cave?"

She stopped dead for a moment, unable to believe what she had heard. She then felt herself growing hot.

"Because it was dark," she managed to shrug nonchalantly, staring straight ahead, "I didn't want to fall."

Tripp observed her as she gave her answer, and couldn't help but beam when he noticed her pink cheeks. Rose risked a glance at Tripp, and was startled to find him watching her with interest. In her surprise she lost her footing, and tumbled the last few meters down the hill, her backpack bursting open and the contents spilling everywhere.

"Are you okay?" Tripp asked, as he crouched down next to her.

"Y-yeah…I think so…" Rose said, touching the back of her head gingerly where she had bumped it.

Tripp began to gather her things and stow them back in her rucksack.

"Rose!" he yelped, concern evident in his tone.

"What is it?"

"Your egg! It's…it's _moving_!"

"D'you think it got damaged?" Rose asked fearfully, taking the egg from Tripp.

"I dunno," he replied, "it's not cracked or anything…"

"Take yours out," Rose suggested, "then we can compare them."

Tripp's egg too wobbled occasionally, and the teenagers relaxed.

"I assume they're just getting closer to hatching," Rose said, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Seem to be!" Tripp smiled, "come on, it's almost six o'clock, I'm starving!"

-o-

"The next Gym's ground and rock type," Tripp said through a mouthful of rice as he studied the poster on the wall of the Trainer's Lodge. Rose glanced up at it.

"Torston…never heard of him."

"I think he's quite new," Tripp told her, taking a swig of orange juice, "pretty good though I hear…some trainer at the till was saying he hasn't lost a battle yet…"

"Shouldn't be too hard for us," Rose frowned, "we both have a water type…"

Tripp's face darkened, the last time he had anticipated an easy win, it had gone horribly wrong. Rose noticed this change and hastily changed the subject.

"Come on! If you're finished we should get going, we need to get up early to train!"

-o-

The next morning, feeling well rested after their previous busy day, Tripp and Rose started the day by training on a flock of wild Pidgey.

"This is boring," Tripp grumbled, after each of his three Pokémon had managed to make a Pidgey faint with one move.

"Well - I suppose it is quite tedious…" Rose conceded, as her Horsea knocked out its second Pidgey in a row, "but there's nowhere else to train! Unless you want to climb that massive hill and train back in the cave…?"

"Can we… not train for once?" Tripp suggested tentatively, "I mean, there's _loads_ to do in Jimbu City, and we've only seen the Pokémon Centre!"

"_Not_ train?" Rose looked at Tripp as though he'd suggested they run around the city stark naked and screaming.

"Well, yeah! This journey isn't just about battling…we have to have some fun too!"

Rose frowned before smiling. To Tripp's surprise, she took his hand, and marched him towards the city centre.

-o-

"You're joking?" Tripp asked his friend in horror as she stopped in front of the elaborately constructed building, "a Pokémon _contest_?"

"It'll be fun," she grinned, "and anyway, what did you think your mum made you pack a suit for?"

"But, it's…it's so…"

"So what?" Rose asked, one eyebrow raised.

"Well…_gay_."

Rose burst out laughing.

"You really think so?"

Tripp nodded.

"Do you mind watching me then?" she asked, smiling sweetly, "I've always wanted to take part in one."

Tripp grimaced.

"Tripp!" she shouted, her eyes flashing, "List everything we've done today because _you_ wanted to, and everything we've done that _I_ wanted to?"

"Okay, okay! Point taken," he grumbled as they made their way inside.

He sat on a squashy chair in the foyer of the Pokémon Contest Hall, waiting for Rose to 'get ready' - whatever that meant.

Every now and again somebody very well dressed would appear in the doorway Rose had disappeared through. As an attractive girl in blue walked out of the doorway, Tripp checked his watch and sighed. Half an hour! He didn't know much about contests, but didn't see why it took over half an hour to prepare for one. He looked up; the girl in blue was standing in front of him, trying not to laugh.

"Were you ignoring me deliberately?" she asked, her lips twitching.

Tripp could only gape. It was Rose, but not as he'd ever seen her before. Her normally fly-away hair had been smoothed into glossy curls that fell below her waist, which for the first time was emphasised - she had discarded her usual jeans and jumper ensemble for a tight fitting, short sleeved, navy dress that flared from the waist.

"Wh…why are you wearing…_that_?" he managed to croak breathily.

"What's wrong with it?" she asked, frowning as she looked down, "My mum packed it; she said everyone wore this sort of thing to contests…"

She began to blush self-consciously, making Tripp feel horribly guilty.

"No! I didn't mean that! You look…really nice."

Rose looked at him disbelievingly.

"No really, I-I mean it! I've just never seen you wear that sort of thing before."

It was Tripp's turn to blush.

Rose laughed, "Why Tripp! I've made you blush!" she teased.

"Bugger off and get backstage," he muttered, "I'll be in the auditorium."

Rose smiled to herself as he slouched off towards the door on the right, before she made her way through the one to the left.

-o-

"Ladies and Gentleman!" an old man in a bowler hat and bow-tie began; the murmuring audience fell silent, "It's taken a while…but the results have finally been calculated…in fourth place…"

Tripp crossed his fingers, but to no avail.

"Rose and her Pichu!"

There was a polite smattering of applause, and Rose grinned from the stage and gave a little curtsey.

Tripp's mouth fell open in indignation; he turned to the elderly woman next to him.

"But she was brilliant!"

The woman looked at him rather strangely.

"She certainly_ looks_ it sonny, but I don't think I've seen a worse performance!" she chuckled hoarsely to herself.

"In third place…Cornelius and his Mareep!" the applause was this time more enthusiastic. Tripp sat back in his chair and crossed his arms grumpily.

"In second place…" the auditorium was now deathly silent (apart from Tripp whose huffy sighs caused the people in the row in front of him to turn around angrily).

"Emma and her Pachirisu!" the girls in the row behind Tripp jumped up for joy and began to shriek loudly and hug each other. Tripp growled; he hated giggling girls, and was really very glad that Rose wasn't like that.

"Which means! That in first place…is Chelsea and her Shinx!"

A girl in a pale pink, frilly floor length dress gave an elaborate curtsey, causing the girls behind to scream, if possible, even more loudly.

"SHUT UP!" Tripp roared.

Everyone fell silent and a sea of faces turned to stare at him…

-o-

"I'm so sorry," he garbled as Rose walked out of the auditorium. To his surprise, she smiled.

"What for?" she asked, linking his arm as they made their way out into the sunlight.

"It was the one thing you wanted to do…and I ruined it…"

"How did you ruin it?" she asked him laughing.

He stared at her blankly.

"Rose, I got _thrown out_."

"I know," she shrugged, "personally I found it hilarious."

"But didn't I ruin it for you?"

"Tripp, I came fourth out of four," she laughed again.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled, unable to look at her.

"Why are you sorry?" she forced him to look her in the eye.

"Because you lost…"

"I didn't expect, or even _want_ to win! I just wanted to take part!"

"…Really?"

"_Yes_!"

"Oh...but I thought –"

"I'm not _you_ Tripp," she said, beginning to get exasperated, "I _can_ enter something and not have to win."

"Right," he grinned, "well I thought you were amazing."

He blushed deeply as he looked into her eyes.

"Thank you," she smiled, not taking her eyes from his.

Tripp cursed inwardly. Did she not know the effect she had on him?

-o-

Once again, Tripp awoke after Rose, and was crawling out of his tent, bleary eyed, as she poured the milk over their cereal. He registered with faint disappointment that she had exchanged her dress for her usual jeans and jumper.

"I swear you do this on purpose you know," Rose said casually, as she handed Tripp a bowl of cornflakes.

"Do what?" he asked, his mouth slightly agape; her dark hair shone coppery red in the sunlight – he didn't appear able to drag his eyes from it.

"Wake up late so that _I'm_ always the one to make the breakfast," she said in mock annoyance, her brown eyes flashing.

Tripp however, continued to gape, and Rose looked at him with concern.

"I _am_ joking you realise…?"

"I-I know," Tripp managed to stammer.

_Get a grip!_ He thought to himself.

"So," he began, and started to shovel down his cornflakes so as to avoid looking at her, "we training today?"

"Well," Rose said, after swallowing her own spoonful of cereal, "I was thinking we should just…go for it?"

Tripp looked at his friend as though she were not quite well.

"You mean…you want to go to the Gym? Straight away?!"

Tripp couldn't deny he was extremely surprised; it was very unlike Rose not to prepare as much as she possibly could for something – especially if she had the option.

"It's a rock and ground type trainer! And we both have a water type! We'll be fine."

"Let's get going then!" he grinned – the sooner they started walking, the less likely he would be to end up staring at her, he thought to himself grimly.

-o-

After they had packed away their tents, they wandered in the direction of the city - Tripp keeping his eyes firmly in front of him.

"May as well go to the Pokémon Centre before we head to the Gym?" Tripp suggested.

Rose nodded in agreement, "Good thinking!"

There was, however, a hold up at the desk. A teenage boy and a young woman were arguing ferociously.

"- so ridiculous!" the boy was saying, shaking his head.

"No it isn't!" the woman shouted back, tugging at her short blond hair, "you're just hopelessly narrow minded –"

"Narrow minded?" he yelled back at her, "Perhaps _you_ should consider that I happen to be aware when something isn't _supposed_ to be taken literally –"

"It's a legend! Which means that it's partly based on fact!"

"Yeah, _partly_ being the operative word! You're wasting your time –"

The young woman screamed in frustration.

"I am _not_! You don't understand –"

"You _are_ wasting your time if you're stupid enough to believe in something as far-fetched as the _Draco Silicis_…"

The young woman leant in close to the teenage boy and hissed in his ear;

"You saw the news report! When lightning strikes Blackthorn City _three times _–"

"Hello there!" the boy interrupted, waving cheerfully to Rose and Tripp, who were standing open mouthed behind the two, "Sorry, did you need to get to the desk?"

"Uh, yeah, please," Tripp managed to answer.

"Are you Pokémon trainers?" the young woman asked, smoothing her hair where she had tugged it out of shape.

"Yes, we are," Rose smiled.

"Excellent!" the teenage boy grinned, "I'm the new Gym Leader."

"Dim Leader more like…" the young woman muttered under her breath; the boy glared at her before continuing.

"Yeah…" he said, sounding slightly put out "so… I look forward to your challenge!"

"You're Torston then?" Rose asked.

"Yeah, and this is my sister," he said, gesturing towards the blond, who had cleared her throat in demand of an introduction.

"Hi!" she said, offering a hand, "Cristine; I'm one of the Elite Four."

Tripp's jaw dropped, and Rose breathed, "Wow."

"Mhmm! So, when you get around to beating _this_ twerp (which I doubt'll take you too long) you'll be one step closer to battling me!"

Rose and Tripp glanced at one another awkwardly. They weren't sure how to react the exchange between Torston and Cristine, neither of them having a sibling.

Cristine smiled at the dumbfounded pair before heading out of the Pokémon Centre.

"Bye Torston!" she called over her shoulder, "I've got some _research_ to do…"

When she had gone, Torston took a deep breath and turned to Rose and Tripp.

"Sorry about that," he said, scratching the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"Don't worry about it," Rose told him, "Will we be able to challenge you today?"

"Sure!" Torston grinned, "Whenever you're ready! I'll be waiting!"

He walked off, his hands thrust deep in his pockets. As soon as he was out of earshot, Tripp began to laugh.

"What?" Rose asked, confused.

"Poor guy! Must be embarrassing – being patronised by your sister in front of your future challengers…"

"True," Rose agreed, as she handed her Pokéballs over to the Nurse, "Shall we get a coffee whilst we wait?"

Five minutes later they sat down with their drinks in the crowded Trainer's Lodge.

"What was Cristine talking about anyway?" Rose frowned as she stirred her latte, "What's the 'Draco Silicis'?"

It was Tripp's turn to frown; "I swear I've heard of that you know…and didn't she say something about Blackthorn City?"

"Yeah…so?"

"Well, Dragon Tamers…they're meant to be really superstitious aren't they?"

"I dunno; I don't really know anything about the Tamers themselves…all I know is that Dragons are meant to be really difficult to train."

"Well, I think there _is_ some legend that Dragon Tamers swear by, but…"

"But what?"

"That's the thing; Dragon Tamers'll believe anything!"

"And the Draco Silicis?"

"I can't remember! I swear it's something to do with it though…"

"Hey!" Rose exclaimed, "Didn't Cristine say it was on the news?"

They turned to the television that was suspended on the wall with brackets, and began to listen.

"- has announced that twelfth baby Psyduck has hatched at the Conservation Centre in Cerulean City, that opened earlier this year!" the newsreader allowed himself a smile, ("That's my mum's Centre!" Tripp said excitedly).

"Lastly," the newsreader continued, "the strange weather reports regarding Blackthorn City in Johto, have been explained by experts as 'results of air pressure' in this humid month. This was no doubt a disappointment for the eccentric Dragon Tamers who were convinced the old legend was finally coming true!" at this the newsreader laughed. "That's all for now! Join us later for the news at six!"

"Well that was helpful," Rose grumbled sarcastically, "he didn't actually say anything about the legend!"

"He clearly thinks it's a load of rubbish…I guess that's why it was the last story…"

"Torston feel the same apparently…are you sure you can't remember it?" Rose pleaded.

"Nope – not a word," Tripp told her nonchalantly, "come on, our Pokémon are ready!"

-o-

Jimbu was a growing city and they had expected to experience some difficulty in finding the Gym. What they had not expected however, was to still be searching for it after three hours. Exhausted, they approached an enormous rock face on the edge of the city and sighed. There was a rickety wooden staircase attached to the rock-face that made the top accessible. They had climbed this already however, and there was no Gym to be found on the large expanse of grassland atop the small cliff.

"I can't believe it," Tripp huffed, "that's the third person and the fourth sign to direct us to this place…"

"I know; it's really odd," Rose gasped; she was bent double, her hands on her knees, in an attempt to regain her breath.

"I give up," Tripp grumbled, "they must all be wrong."

He started to make his way back into the city, but Rose held up a hand to stop him.

"Please," she gasped, "just a couple of minutes."

She sat down on the grass, resting her head on her knees.

Tripp was incredibly thirsty, and the last thing he felt like doing was sitting down in the sun. He was reluctant to start an argument however, so swallowed his retort and lowered himself down on the grass next to her.

"This is ridiculous," Rose muttered resurfacing, her eyes closed against the harsh sunlight.

"What is?" Tripp snapped, taking off his cap and wiping his sweaty forehead.

"That we can't find the Gym."

She leant backwards against the rock-face – and shrieked. No sooner had her back touched the wall, when the stone start to shift slowly to the left, revealing an uneven doorway, carved into the cliff face.

Rose and Tripp scrambled up from where they were sitting, and gaped at one another in shock.

"Well," Tripp managed to say, "I think you found the Gym…"

They peered inside, but couldn't make anything out; the darkness was impenetrable. Tripp remembered Rose's discomfort the last time they had come across a cave, and knew she would be incredibly reluctant to enter first – however, he also knew that she would rather die than admit this. Their friendship was such that he wouldn't tease her for it, just as she hadn't teased him about his recent nightmare.

Rose needn't have worried; as soon as Tripp's foot crossed the threshold of the rock face, the hollow chamber filled with yellow light, emitted from the numerous black lanterns strung around the walls of the chamber itself.

At the far end of the cave sat a figure on a natural stone podium. The lantern light illuminated the teenagers, and the figure smiled as he recognised them.

"Hey!" he yelled waving enthusiastically as he leapt lightly from the podium.

"Hi," Rose grinned back awkwardly.

"Did you have trouble finding the Gym or something?" Torston asked, worrying his bottom lip with his teeth.

"Nah," Tripp lied, noticing Torston's concern, "we, er- we've just been exploring the city!"

"Oh okay! Good!" the Gym Leader breathed, "I've barely had any challengers since I became the Leader, and I hoped it wasn't because my Gym's too well hidden…"

"Not at all!" Rose smiled easily, "Are we able to challenge you now?" she asked.

"Both of you?" Torston asked, gobsmacked, "Awesome!"

"Hey," Tripp muttered to Rose, " you don't mind if I go first do you?"

"Of course not," she smiled, taking Tripp's rucksack and making herself comfortable on a boulder near the entrance, which had once again sealed itself. She wasn't worried about this battle; she knew that Tripp could win it easily, and was looking forward to watching.

"We're gonna use two Pokémon each…is that okay?" Torston asked, worriedly.

"Fine!" Tripp grinned, taking a Pokéball from his belt.

"Er- okay…go! Cubone!" Torston said, as Cubone was released with a flash of blinding light.

"I choose Psyduck!" Tripp yelled, and his duck Pokémon emerged from its Pokéball. Extensive training had made a noticeable improvement in Psyduck; its chronic headaches were now far less frequent, causing the Pokémon to lose some of its clumsiness. He stood now, poised and ready for battle.

"Use Water Pulse!" Tripp commanded; the attack hit Cubone, who reeled slightly, but nevertheless determinedly returned to battle.

"Bone Club! Now!"

"Water Gun Psyduck!"

The jet of water collided with the spinning bones, and they were veered off course.

"Again, Psyduck!" Tripp ordered. Psyduck threw its head back and its Water Gun hit Cubone critically.

"Finish it off with Headbutt!"

Cubone, already extremely weak from the two water attacks fainted when subjected to Headbutt. Torston looked horrified, and appeared to have frozen, before he remembered himself.

"Good job," he whispered to his Pokémon as he returned it to the safety of its Pokéball, "But we're not done yet! I choose you! Geodude!"

Torston's Geodude was quite unlike Tripp's. It was slightly larger, and its growl was much deeper. Its rocky arms too seemed much bigger than those belonging to Tripp's Geodude.

"Show it your Rock Throw!" Torston yelled, and Tripp gasped in horror as a shower of large stones rained upon Psyduck, temporarily stunning him.

"Water Pulse Psyduck!"

By the time Psyduck had righted itself, Torston had already ordered Geodude to use its deadly attack again, and Psyduck fell to the floor.

"Come on Psyduck! Water Gun!"

But Psyduck was losing energy, and only managed a feeble Water Gun, which the Geodude dodged easily.

Back from the action, Rose started to panic. This Geodude, she reckoned, must be close to evolving. Psyduck itself was a high level, and even its type advantage didn't seem to be working against the sturdy rock type Pokémon. Psyduck went down to another Rock Throw, and Rose cringed.

On the battleground, Tripp began to sweat freely. If Psyduck couldn't withstand this rock type move, what chance did his other Pokémon have? This would be his second Gym match that he lost first time…this thought made his face burn with humiliation. He _had_ to win; he would do _anything_ in his power to win. Reality hit him hard: _I can't win, there's nothing I can do, Psyduck's moves aren't making contact…it's over._

But suddenly, inspiration hit Tripp. It wasn't over – he had one last chance.

"Psyduck! Use Disable!" Psyduck, from where it was lying on the ground slowly opened its eyes to emit a neon blue wave, which the Geodude couldn't avoid.

"Rock Throw Geodude!" …but nothing happened.

Rose gasped, her eyes widening when she realised what had happened. She felt her heart swell with pride as she saw her friend and his Pokémon, connected by the battling that had strengthened them as a team. Psyduck, after realising that its torture was at an end, gathered its remaining energy and shakily stood.

"Water Gun!" Tripp ordered. The jet hit Geodude squarely, and as it reeled in pain, Tripp realised the moment had come.

"Finish it off with your Water Pulse!"

The rock type Pokémon couldn't stand the two water type moves in a row from Psyduck, whose fresh determination had made its attacks critical.

Rose screamed in delight as Geodude went down, and rushed towards Tripp before throwing her arms around his waist.

"That was _brilliant_!" she said, her eyes alight, "Absolutely _brilliant_!"

Tripp could only beam; due to his shock, he hadn't yet managed to regain the use of his voice.

They turned as they heard footsteps on the stone behind them, and saw Torston, who was smiling at Tripp warmly.

"I must say, I wasn't expecting that –" he began, only to be interrupted by Rose, who Tripp noticed, with regret, had let go of his waist.

"Neither did I! I mean –" she began.

"However," he continued in a raised voice, so as to drown Rose out, "I can't deny that it was one of the most pulse-raising battles I have ever taken part in. The way you turned it around when I was so sure I was going to win it…that takes talent…and I'm pleased to present you with the Pebble Badge."

Tripp grinned at Torston as he took the badge from him, and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Good battle, man."

Torston nodded, and opened his mouth to speak, when he was once again interrupted by Rose.

"So can I go now?" she beamed.

"Now?" Torston spluttered.

"Well, you_did_ say we could both battle you…"

"I-I know, I just need…Pokémon Centre…" Torston muttered, before rushing, pink faced, towards the cave mouth.

Rose raised her eyebrows at Tripp.

"You can tell he's new to this, didn't Elliot have a supply at the back of his Gym?"

"Yep," said Tripp, sitting down on the stone floor and taking a swig from the water bottle. Rose sat down next to him.

"I'm really proud of you, you know," she said, smiling warmly into his blue eyes. He looked up at her, and gulped, his eyes wide. She leant over and pecked his cheek, before taking a sip of water herself. She continued to look at him, and it took him a moment to realise he hadn't replied.

"Th-thanks," he whispered. She grinned and drank some more water; she hadn't appeared to notice anything odd about his response.

Tripp suddenly remembered the other cave, and how he had just been about to tell her how he felt, when she had slipped over, and the right time never came up again. But now…they were alone, and for once, they were silent.

"Uh…Rose?" he tried, becoming very interested in his hands all of a sudden.

"Mhmm?" she asked, turning towards him. He cursed inwardly as she smiled, and returned his attention to his hands.

"What is it?" she asked, frowning now. Tripp looked up; the frown he could talk to - the frown didn't render him speechless.

"I wanted to –"

"Back!" Torston called simultaneously. It took all of Tripp's self-control not to swear aloud.

Rose jumped to her feet, "Can I battle you now?" she asked, her voice high pitched with excitement.

Torston laughed, "You sure can!"

He walked towards his podium and turned to face Rose. Tripp sat on the boulder she had occupied earlier, running his hands through his hair in frustration.

"Two Pokémon?" Torston asked.

Rose nodded. Her legs were tingling and she could feel the adrenaline coursing through her; the feeling only a battle could bring.

"I choose you! Horsea!"

"Go! Geodude!"

Rose started; she hadn't been expecting this. All the battle strategies she had planned had revolved around her warming up on Cubone as Tripp had done.

"Use Rock Throw!"

Rose wasn't stupid, however, she had expected this.

"Dodge it Horsea!" Horsea's unusually high speed stat allowed it to do what Psyduck had failed to, and with ease.

What Rose hadn't been anticipating was for Torston to order the same attack almost straight afterwards. She wasn't fully prepared for this, and Horsea was hit, although only slightly, with some small rocks.

"Bubblebeam now!" the attack hit, but Geodude got up easily, only to launch another Rock Throw. Horsea was hit hard this time, and it was with a great effort that it managed to fire a Water Gun. To Rose and Tripp's astonishment, Geodude seemed to be affected very little by the second water attack, and went straight into a Tackle.

"Dodge it again Horsea! Use Twister!"

The Dragon type attack did what the water one couldn't, and Geodude faltered when it tried to get up.

"Bubblebeam!"

"Rock Throw Geodude!"

The rocks popped the bubbles with ease, and before Rose realised what had happened, Horsea had fainted.

She returned her Pokémon to its Pokéball in silence. She closed her eyes in horror as she reflected on her stupidity. She had forgotten that Psyduck was a higher level than her Horsea, and assumed that because they were both water types, they would be able to withstand the same amount of damage. She considered her option, her _only_ option. Pichu. One electric Pokémon against two; rock and ground. She gulped. The battle was pretty much lost, and it sickened her. But she wouldn't forfeit. She would do everything she could.

"Go Pichu!"

Pichu erupted from its Pokéball and took in its surroundings; the Geodude was its opponent; its wide rocky mouth was stretched into a leering grin. Pichu turned to Rose, awaiting his first instruction. He became very confused upon seeing his trainer's face; it was white, her dark eyes wide and glittering…she looked defeated.

"Pi pi!" he squeaked, in angry exasperation.

Rose looked towards the little electric Pokémon and nodded.

"You're right," she whispered, "we can't give up now…" she cleared her throat, and thought through one last battle strategy in her head. Her last hope.

"Pichu! Use Sweet Kiss!"

Tripp's mouth fell open in surprise; he knew of Rose's contempt for inoffensive attacks, and could hardly believe what he'd heard.

Geodude however, to Torston's horror, attacked itself harshly in confusion, and closed its eyes in pain.

"Rock Throw!" Torston yelled; an edge of panic evident in his voice.

Geodude attacked itself again, and reeled, hitting the floor with a crunching _thunk_.

"Finish it off Pichu! Shockwave!" the attack was barely effective, but Geodude, thoroughly exhausted, was unable to raise itself, and fainted.

Tripp cheered from the side-lines, but Rose barely allowed herself a smile; she knew the battle was far from being won.

"All right! It's your turn Cubone!"

Cubone emerged from its Pokéball, spotted its opponent and began to spin its bones menacingly.

"Use Bone Club!"

"Dodge it! Use Sweet Kiss!"

Cubone, although confused now, launched another Bone Club at Pichu, who had to roll on the ground to avoid it.

"Pichu, use Charm!"

"Headbutt Cubone!" Pichu was this time unable to dodge the attack, but Rose noticed with satisfaction that the Headbutt had hardly left a mark.

Cubone, although confused, was all the more dangerous for it, unleashing attacks at every angle.

Rose knew that electric attacks would have no effect whatsoever on a ground type, so she only had one option; make Cubone attack itself, and keep Pichu out of harm's way.

"Headbutt!"

"Dodge it Pichu!"

"Use Bone Club!"

But Cubone, like Geodude, attacked itself and was momentarily dazed. This gave Pichu a chance to catch his breath.

"Now Cubone! Bonemerang!" Cubone managed to aim at Pichu this time, who had to dive high in the air in order to avoid the attack.

"Use Headbutt!"

"Keep dodging!"

"Bone Club! Bonemerang! _Headbutt_!" Torston screamed.

Pichu, managed to dodge every attack by sprinting around the enraged ground type Pokémon, who in its exhaustion sank to the ground.

"Don't give up! Use Bone Club again!"

But Cubone was finished. It closed its eyes, before falling on its back. It had fainted.

Tripp was speechless. _Only Rose could win a battle using no offensive attacks!_ He thought in awe.

"Well," Torston managed to splutter, as he returned Cubone to its Pokéball, "twice in one day…and both battles I was so sure I had in the bag."

He let out an astonished chuckle, which developed into a full scale laugh, which left Torston bent double and clutching his ribs. Rose couldn't help it; she too let out a giggle. _You did it_ – she thought.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Torston sighed, wiping his eyes, "it's just unbelievable - you two…the skill with which you turned those battles around…I'm speechless."

Rose glanced at Tripp and they smiled proudly at one another.

"And so Rose, I too present you with the Pebble Badge; and let me tell you, those were two of the most extraordinary battles I have ever participated in…and by the way," he added "When you meet Cristine at the Pokémon League, tell her 'hi' from me… and also tell her mum says she needs to move her boxes of clothes out of her bedroom."

He pressed the small round badge into Rose's palm, and still chuckling to himself, he wandered further into the cave and out of sight.

-o-

"Rose?" Tripp asked, as they were about to zip up their tents that night.

"What is it?" she asked.

"That was amazing today - your battle I mean."

She frowned.

"Thanks…but why do you say that?"

"Well, that thing you did with the inoffensive moves…it was ingenious."

She smiled a peculiar smile, and lifted her eyes to his.

"You don't give yourself enough credit," she finally said.

"Huh?"

"If you hadn't used Disable, I wouldn't even have _considered_ trying the inoffensive moves…I would have forfeited. _You_ gave me the idea."

Tripp could only stare at her.

"You're a remarkable trainer," she said seriously, before zipping up her tent, "night Tripp."

"Night," he smiled, his heart feeling curiously warm and light as he zipped up his own.

**AN:**

**I'd love to hear your thoughts at this point (:**

**And can I just add, I have only just discovered that the name 'Trip' is already in use in the Pokémon world. *growls***

**My only defence is that my Tripp is based on somebody I know, who actually has Trip as a genuine nickname, and the 'original' Trip is from the Unova region, and therefore lame (;**

**Also, a special thank you to Coolevilshark and Anonymouswriter713 – your reviews make my day! Everyone else…come on, I know you want to ;D**

**Love A x**


	6. Chapter 6

At ten o'clock the following morning, Rose sat down, panting as she reached the top of the rickety wooden staircase attached to Torston's Gym. Tripp stood over her, his arms folded impatiently.

"Come _on_."

"Shut up," Rose responded snappily, "in case you haven't noticed, your legs are rather longer than mine."

Tripp made the mistake of glancing at her legs; the hot weather meant the appearance of her shorts – and they were rather short shorts now he thought about it…

Rose raised her eyebrows.

"What are you staring at?"

"Nothing!" Tripp gasped, turning red as he turned away to look across the expansive plain.

He risked a glance back at Rose whose face, he realised, was plastered with a most devilish grin.

"Oh, by all means, don't be embarrassed about looking at my legs," she smiled mockingly.

"I wasn't! I –"

"You what?" she asked, clearly enjoying his discomfort.

"Nothing," he muttered, "come on, let's get going."

Rose smiled to herself as she stood up.

-o-

Marjoram Plain consisted of knee high grass, which rippled and shone in the high winds atop the small cliff. Barley visible on the horizon was a colossal fence; so high that despite the flatness of the plain, the teenagers could not see past it. The grass was not easy to wade through, and after ten minutes in the sweltering sun, the sweat was pouring down their backs.

"My bag straps are cutting my shoulders," Rose told Tripp through gritted teeth.

He rolled his eyes at her, which didn't go unnoticed.

"What?" she snarled, her bright brown eyes narrowing.

"I didn't say a word."

"You rolled your eyes at me."

"Well you've done nothing but complain today!"

"We've only been awake for two hours!"

"Precisely; you know I'm not a morning person, I can't handle your whinging on top of it."

"Oh don't worry," she seethed, "you don't have to _handle_ it anymore."

She hitched her rucksack higher up onto her back, marching ahead and ignoring her stinging shoulders.

Tripp watched her go, but didn't make any effort to catch her up. He wasn't entirely sure why she was irritating him so much. After all, the only two things she had actually complained about were the fact that her sleeping bag wouldn't roll up properly, and that her bag was cutting. He shrugged, and followed.

-o-

After over half an hour of trudging through the prairie grass, Rose reached the enormous fence. Now that she had reached it, she saw the sign, the desk, and the two people sat at it.

"Good morning!" called the woman, "Welcome to Marjoram Park!"

"Plenty of rare Pokémon just waiting to be captured!" the man told her, winking.

"How much is it?" Tripp asked, startling Rose; she didn't realise he was so close behind, being too stubborn to look back.

"Thirty Pokéloans, all you can catch!"

"Awesome! I'm in!" he laughed.

"Well you're obviously not going to catch all the Pokémon you _can_," Rose told him scathingly.

"Why the hell not?" Tripp asked, raising his eyebrows.

Rose sighed, incensing Tripp further.

"Go ahead then," she said, her voice infuriatingly smug, "have a bunch of weak Pokémon in your party…I'll look forward to watching your next Gym challenge."

Tripp turned red, and the man and woman at the counter exchanged amused glances.

"Are you two interested or…?"

"I am!" Rose beamed, her good humour restored as she registered the fury in her friend's face. She paid the money, took her Pokéballs and was granted access into the Park.

"And you sonny?" asked the man.

"Yes," Tripp managed to say through gritted teeth.

The woman tried in vain to stifle her giggles at Tripp's anger, but was soon silenced by his icy glare.

"Enjoy your time in the Park," she said, rather abashed.

Trip smiled genuinely now, pleased that he had the last laugh.

"Thank you."

-o-

Rose studied the map of the Park. She was pleased when she saw how meticulous the layout was. Each Pokémon type was situated in a different area of the Park; rock, fire, poison and flying.

Swiftly calculating, she narrowed her eyes, before deciding just which type of Pokémon would complement her party. Decision made, she started on her course.

-o-

Tripp had decided on a fire type Pokémon. He already had water, rock and bug, and felt that fire was a power that he wanted experience with. There were rumours that the Champion of Sesame themself was a fire type Trainer.

When he reached the barren expanse of the fire type Pokémon's habitat he growled in annoyance. A few hundred yards to his left he recognised Rose; so she too was looking for a fire type…

He thought back to their argument this morning; he didn't really understand where it had sprung from…they had gotten on so well the previous day. He remembered how he had nearly told her his feelings once more in Torston's Gym, how striking she had looked in her dress, how just before they went to sleep she told him that he was a remarkable Trainer…he closed his eyes in horror and embarrassment.

"You like her too much you idiot," he admitted to himself. He really had to stop pushing her away out of embarrassment. He was hurting her, and she in return was hurting him.

"She must think I'm acting like a bastard for no reason…"

-o-

Similarly, Rose was considering her situation with Tripp as she picked her way around the rocky landscape.

"He thinks he's got one over me, because I bloody complimented him last night," she muttered to herself. She knew their relationship had gotten complicated ever since they had started this journey together, and she didn't like it. She wasn't entirely sure exactly how he felt about her, but she knew that she had always viewed him as a brother. She sat down heavily and sighed to herself as she realised what had to be done.

-o-

Tripp's spirits had lifted. He realised the problem between them. It was a simple matter of miscommunication. He always got cold feet whenever he went to tell Rose that he liked her, and that was the source of all their arguing. He was almost certain that she returned his feelings, and was therefore confident that she would accept his offer…to be his girlfriend. He became breathless as he thought of kissing her; it made his palms sweat, his back feel cold and yet the sensations weren't unpleasant but exhilarating.

He was following the tracks of what he believed to be a Houndour, and when he managed to catch it, and find her again, he would tell her how he felt.

-o-

"Thunderwave Pichu!" Rose cried, watching with gleaming eyes as the Vulpix slowed, her movements jolting and erratic. Rose held her breath as she threw the Pokéball, and squealed with delight as it clicked shut.

"Pichu Pi!" Pichu squeaked happily, jumping up onto Rose's shoulder and licking her ear affectionately.

"Way to go buddy!" she laughed, tickling Pichu's yellow furry stomach.

"Nice catch," Tripp grinned, walking towards her, a Pokéball in his hand.

Rose's smile faltered, but didn't disappear.

"Hello…gotten over yourself have you?" she asked curtly.

Tripp laughed, holding her gaze, "Sorry about that Ro, I don't know what was up with me."

"It's fine," she smiled, not wanting to have 'The Talk' just yet.

Tripp too realised that this wasn't the time to tell her how he felt, and contented himself with the fact that they were talking again.

"So…you got a fire type too then huh?"

"You've caught a Pokémon?" Rose asked, her eyes lighting up.

"Houndour," Tripp stated, "took me ages to find the little bugger."

Rose laughed, "Was it an easy capture?"

Tripp lifted his left hand to show her a scorch mark.

"Yeouch! I'll dress that later if you like?"

"Please; I'm clearly not used to fire types…"

"We'll learn together."

They smiled at one another; friends again.

-o-

"Bug type," Tripp stated as he read the sign of the Marjoram City Gym, "shouldn't be too much of an issue…"

"True, but we'll need to stock up on Antidotes and things," Rose said thoughtfully.

"Our new fire types should come in pretty handy," was Tripp's gleeful answer.

"But we haven't really trained them sufficiently!"

"They'll be _fine_!" Tripp reassured her. He was far too excited about his new Pokémon to not use him.

Rose laughed at her friend.

"Shall we go for it then?"

-o-

The interior of the Gym gave off an immensely strong smell of soil. It was dank and dim inside, and unpleasantly warm, indoor trees casting strange shadows from the little light that filtered through the narrow, rectangular windows. Rose and Tripp made their way cautiously through the Gym, the walls of which appeared to have been made from mud bricks.

Hearing a rapid swishing noise, the pair turned to see a girl around their age, descending from the largest tree in the Gym via a rope. She wore short dungarees, and her purple plaits and face were streaked with earth.

"Welcome," she smiled, "I'm Fern, and I'm the Gym Leader of Marjoram City."

"I'm Rose, and this is Tripp."

"We're challengers," Tripp added.

"Sweet," Fern smiled, her hazel eyes twinkling, "so who's up first?"

Rose and Tripp glanced at one another.

"I'll go?" Rose suggested.

Tripp nodded in approval, and took a seat to the side of the battle ground.

"All right, we'll use three Pokémon – that cool?"

"Fine," Rose smiled, taking a Pokéball from her belt.

"Okay, I choose Spinarak!"

"Go Horsea!"

"Spinarak! Constrict!"

"Bubblebeam Horsea!"

But Horsea was stuck, try as he might, he couldn't break the bonds of Spinarak's attack.

"Fury Swipes Spinarak!"

"C'mon Horsea! Use Twister!"

The attack worked, and Horsea managed to momentarily free himself. Fern, however, was too fast.

"Constrict it Spinarak!"

Rose snarled in fury, but before she could react properly, Fern had issued another attack.

"Use Leech Life!"

Horsea was hit hard, but Rose knew what to do.

"Use Twister again Horsea!"

"Fury Swipes Spinarak!"

From the side lines, Tripp gasped. Horsea fainted, without even having managed to hit the bug Pokémon.

Rose took a deep breath to calm herself, before carefully making her next choice.

"Right Vulpix! Come on!"

"Spinarak! Constrict!"

"Use Ember Vulpix!"

The fire collided mid-air with Spinarak's sticky ropes, and burnt them to nothing.

"Now Vulpix! Show it your Flamethrower!"

"Fury Swipes!"

"Quick attack!"

"Constrict!"

"Use Ember again!"

Once again Spinarak's attack was rendered useless by Vulpix's fire.

"Finish it off with another Flamethrower!"

Tripp couldn't help but cheer when Spinarak fainted. He blushed however, when both girls turned to face him, eyebrows raised.

"Okay, fine," Fern said, selecting her second Pokéball, "I pick Shuckle!"

"Quick Attack Vulpix!"

"Shuckle! Withdraw!"

"Use your Flamethrower!"

Shuckle flinched from the strength of the fire, but returned to battle determinedly.

"Use Constrict!"

"Use Fire Spin Vulpix!"

Like Horsea, Vulpix's attack helped her to break free of her bonds, and she retaliated with another scorching Flamethrower.

Shuckle reeled; although Vulpix hadn't had much training, fire type attacks always proved powerful.

"Finish it off with Quick Attack!"

Shuckle attempted to hide in its shell, but Vulpix was too fast. Shuckle was hit critically, and fainted.

Fern didn't look worried; on the contrary, her mud stained face lit up in excitement as she chose her last Pokéball.

"Let's see how you cope with Dustox!"

"Great job Vulpix! Come back! Go! Pichu!"

"Silver Wind Dustox!"

"Thunder Wave Pichu!"

The attack hit and Dustox could only stay airborne with extreme difficulty.

"Thunderbolt Pichu!"

"Use Protect!"

Dustox wasn't fast enough due to its paralysis, and the electric attack struck it powerfully, leaving it with only minimal energy.

"C'mon Dustox! Use Psybeam!"

The attack was poorly placed, and Pichu managed to avoid the colourful wave with ease.

"Finish it with another Thunderbolt Pichu!"

Dustox was unable to dodge the attack, and with a supreme struggle attempted to rise. It was finished however, and fainted heavily upon the Gym floor.

Fern grinned as she returned her Pokémon to its Pokéball.

"Amazing!" she laughed, "I didn't expect you to be that strong at all!"

Rose blinked in surprise, rather offended. Fern, realising what she had said and how it must have sounded, back-tracked.

"Oh no! I don't mean you look weak! Just young! You must be what…fifteen? Sixteen?"

"Seventeen in November"

"Exactly! I'm only eighteen! You could be a Gym Leader if you wanted!"

"We're from Chicory Town," Tripp said, "there's no Gym there for us to own."

"Ah, I see. Well, I think you should seriously consider collecting all badges, and maybe even having a go at the League."

Rose and Tripp smiled at one another.

"Perhaps we will," Rose said, her lips twitching with the irony of the situation. She had never really considered just how ambitious their aspirations were. They would never be happy being Gym Leaders, without at least trying to get to the top.

_We're similar in that way_, she realised.

"So, you up next?" Fern asked, turning to Tripp.

-o-

"Why don't we cook dinner tonight?" Tripp suggested. His spirits were light; He had managed to beat the Gym Leader using Geodude alone, and was still glowing from Fern's compliments.

"Cook?" Rose asked, as though the concept was alien to her.

"Yeah!" Tripp exclaimed becoming excited, "we could cook on a fire! And I'm sick of Trainer's Lodge food…"

"I don't cook," Rose said flatly.

"Well I do," Tripp smiled.

"Really? Since when?"

"Are you honestly telling me that you didn't know I can cook?"

"You're having me on…"

"No seriously! Let's go!"

-o-

Rose gaped as she saw the bill for all the food they'd chosen.

"Seriously Tripp –"

"Rose. Be quiet. I've already said it's on me."

Rose bit her lip anxiously, but didn't say anything else.

As they walked down the road out of Marjoram City to set up camp, she couldn't resist.

"Come on Tripp! That was over sixty Pokéloans worth of food! Let me pay half…"

"Rose!" Tripp went slightly pink, "Look, I don't want to say this, but you've driven me to it. I have a lot of money okay? My parents gave me eight hundred Pokéloans to set up a storage system, but you're right, a party is better if you only have six Pokémon. I don't want to rub it in, but I don't want or need your money! I bought things so expensive _because_ I was paying, okay?"

Rose chewed on her lip, and frowned before whispering, "Okay."

Tripp smiled at her, before setting up camp.

"So!" Rose asked, "What can I do?"

"Nothing, nothing! I want to treat you…to make up for being a prat earlier."

"Don't be silly!" Rose laughed, "I want to help."

"It's fine, honestly. I can manage…"

"I know you can manage, but I_want_ to help!"

It was then that Rose noticed how wide Tripp's eyes had become; she laughed merrily at him.

"You don't trust me to cook do you?" she grinned.

Tripp smiled apologetically, "I like to do it myself."

Rose perched on a small boulder and cupped her face in her hands.

"Who would have known you were a control freak in the kitchen?" she laughed again, "Okay then chef," she grinned, her eyes twinkling, "I'll watch and learn."

-o-

"Why the hell did you never tell me you could cook before?" Rose managed to ask from where she lay flat on the grass, the hands resting lightly on her rather uncomfortably full stomach.

Tripp sighed and lay down next to her, also feeling rather glutinous.

"My dad loves cooking; I've always cooked with him, ever since I was a kid."

"Well, you're bloody good at it. Those prawns…like magic…"

"Nah, just chilli and lavender…you wouldn't think to put them together would you?"

"Never," Rose replied, "and the lamb?"

"Rosemary and honey, and a tiny sprinkling of nutmeg."

"Mmm…and the rice?"

"What about it?"

"It was so…fluffy"

"Trick is to stir it, and I like to add a touch of oil."

"You're a genius."

"Did you like the salad?"

"It was delicious, couldn't tell you what was in it though…"

Tripp laughed.

"I just don't understand how you cooked it all on a fire…especially the potatoes?"

"Easy," Tripp shrugged, "you saw me, I just stuck them on a skewer."

"I know…but…"

"But what?"

"Dunno," Rose slurred, "it was so tasty…all of it."

Tripp smiled in contentment.

"That's why I love cooking, the appreciation you get!"

"Unless it's disgusting," Rose laughed, "which is why I never cook. All that effort, and it tastes rank."

Tripp laughed too, "You make it sound like a chore."

"Well, it _is_."

"Nah, I'll show you how to cook properly."

"And how's that?"

"Aaah, it's complicated…"

"Well now I'm curious…"

"You should be…"

Their eyes were closing; the warm night air and their full stomachs together combined to make the perfect recipe for sleep.

-o-

Tripp awoke and checked his watch; it was four in the morning. The sky was a pale, inky purple, and their fire had recently burnt out, its woody scent mixing with the homely remains of his feast. Tripp sat up and stretched his back before glancing over at Rose. She slept curled up on her side, using her arm as a pillow, tendrils of curly hair framing her face. _Today I'll tell her_, Tripp decided, before lying down once more, watching the stars fade one by one as the sun slowly rose.

"Wakey, wakey! Rise and shine!" Rose called cheerily, a couple of hours later.

Tripp opened his eyes slowly but then shut them immediately to shield them from the glaring sunlight.

"Flamethrower Vulpix!" Rose commanded.

Tripp, in sudden terror, sprang into a standing position much to Rose and Vulpix's, amusement.

"Geez, I was only lighting a fire," Rose laughed, and Tripp realised she was holding two skewers, each with three sausages impaled on them.

"After last night I couldn't cope with bread rolls or cornflakes, so I ran to the shop to get sausages for breakfast."

Tripp, still in shock, laughed shakily and ran a hand through his tousled hair.

Rose put her hands on her hips, "Do you honestly think I'd wake you up by setting you on fire?!"

Tripp had to laugh; it did sound absurd.

"No, I suppose not…now come on sous chef! I wanna see what you can do with those sausages!"

-o-

Tripp shuddered and wiped his mouth; it had only been half an hour since he had sampled Rose's cooking.

"I'm sorry!" Rose said for what felt like the thousandth time, wringing her hands together in despair.

Tripp had to laugh in spite of himself, "Only you Ro, could have undercooked them on the inside and charred them on the outside."

"I'm so sorry!" she cried.

"Forget it –"

Rose shrieked as Tripp bent over and vomited for the fourth time.

"Funny," he croaked, his eyes narrowed, "how _you_ suddenly felt 'too full' to eat anything this morning…"

Rose's mouth fell open in surprise, "What do you mean?" she asked, detecting the accusatory tone.

Tripp raised his eyebrows at her, before stuffing his sleeping bag into his rucksack and setting off. He wiped his mouth again and shuddered. _Blatantly tried to poison me_, he thought darkly, _jealous because she can't cook_…

"Tripp!" Rose exclaimed, running to catch up with him, "I _really_ hope you're not implying that I did this on purpose?!"

He raised an eyebrow, and Rose saw red.

"What do you take me for? Do you honestly_, honestly_ think I'd do that? _Especially_ after you cooked for me last night _and_ refused to let me pay you?"

She frowned in disgust as he didn't respond.

"Well, you've_ seriously_ misjudged my character…"

Tripp realised with a grip of panic that he was being ridiculous, that once again, miscommunication had gotten in their way. Of course she wasn't jealous of his cooking, she'd been nothing but complimentary the night before. _Save this Tripp, now, don't be so stupid!_

"Hey!" he croaked, grabbing her arm, and smiling, "I'm only joking!"

Rose looked at him shrewdly.

"Of course I don't think you tried to make me ill," even as he said it he knew it was stupid, and he smiled genuinely. Rose, sensing this, relaxed.

"You're a better actor than I suspected," she laughed, "now let's hurry up and get to the Pokémon Centre so we can buy some water!"

Tripp sighed in relief; that was a close one…he needed to tell her, the sooner the better.

-o-

"That's better," Tripp sighed, leaning back and closing his eyes, the familiar sounds of the Trainer's Lodge and a stomach full of warm food relaxing him somewhat.

"I really am sorry," Rose said again, after finishing her bowl of porridge.

"Not to worry – but I'll cook from now on…"

Rose went to hit him, but gasped as the Pokémon egg in her rucksack by her feet gave a particularly violent wobble.

"What is it?"

Rose lifted the warm, weighty egg out of her bag, and examined it carefully.

"Is it hatching?"

"I don't think so," Rose replied in disappointment, "it must be close to it though!"

"I really hope whatever Pokémon it is, it doesn't clash with my other types; you've got me hooked on the idea of having six different ones."

"I know what you mean, I'm hoping it'll be psychic or something rare, but I doubt it. It'll blatantly be a water type, which we both have…"

"Or grass, which I'd really rather not have."

Rose laughed, "My dad hated grass types – funny that they named me Rose really..." she mused, "He used to laugh at my mum, because she had a soft spot for the Sunflora in our back garden."

Tripp bit his lip awkwardly. It was very rare that Rose brought up her father, and he never quite knew what to say when she did.

"But your dad had an Ivysaur didn't he?" she enquired.

Tripp relaxed slightly.

"Yeah he did; he had to get rid of it though," Tripp laughed, "it used to uproot the garden apparently – drove mum mad."

"Shame he didn't keep it really, they're pretty strong Pokémon."

"He gave it to his younger brother, it's a Venusaur now!"

"Speaking of evolution, we should do some training! We haven't trained in God knows how long!"

-o-

Marjoram City was very quaint, but had an abundance of thick vegetation on its outskirts, which were perfect for training in.

"Geez Ro, Horsea is so quick!"

"I know," Rose grinned happily.

"I think he's even quicker than Pichu!"

Pichu heard this, and zapped Tripp in retaliation.

"FUCK!" he screamed.

Rose, Pichu and Horsea laughed.

"Not funny," Tripp growled, turning his back on the trio and returning Houndour to his Pokéball.

"Lighten up!" Rose called, her eyes sparkling, as she returned Horsea to his Pokéball, and releasing Vulpix in the process.

Rose and Tripp's strategy was to train two Pokémon at a time. This way, the training was faster, and the Pokémon also learnt one another's skills and weaknesses, which Rose insisted was vital for their development.

"Trust me," she told Tripp when he had first laughed at the idea, "my mum did a course on the developmental psychology of Pokémon and how it can affect their mental cognitions."

Tripp kept quiet after that. But Rose appeared to have been right once more; the Pokémon were quicker, sharper and stronger than they were when they had been trained on their own.

Tripp noticed this particularly with the combination of Psyduck and Weedle. Perhaps it was because they were the two Pokémon he'd had the longest, but they certainly worked together best; either way, they were becoming a formidable team.

"Weedle! String Shot! Finish it off with Water Pulse Psyduck!" the Paras they had been working on fainted and fell back into the grass.

Rose stopped her own training to watch Tripp's. She marvelled at Psyduck whom she remembered bumping repeatedly into her knees when she first met him in her kitchen. Much stronger now, and with the almost complete absence of its chronic headaches, Psyduck was in his element.

"Tripp!" she shrieked, "Weedle's evolving!"

Tripp yelped and ran across the clearing towards Weedle, in order to distract him and put a stop to his evolution. The ruckus worked, and Weedle blinked up at his trainer confusedly.

"Wee?"

"Sorry buddy," Tripp said, letting Weedle crawl up his arm and onto his shoulder, "but I want you to have the deadliest sting there is when you're a Beedrill!"

"Weedly," Weedle muttered dejectedly.

"Of course you'll be a Beedrill one day!" Tripp said, looking to Rose for help.

"He's right Weedle! Surely you'd much rather be the strongest Beedrill there is and hang on as a Weedle for a little while longer?"

Weedle tilted his little brown head to one side, considering Rose's words, before nodding happily and nuzzling Tripp's face.

Tripp laughed as he stroked his Pokémon before returning him to his Pokéball.

"Shall we get some dinner?" Rose yawned, returning Vulpix to her Pokéball too.

"Yup, c'mon Psyduck!" Tripp called over his shoulder.

"Golduck."

Rose and Tripp stopped dead before turning slowly on the spot, to where Psyduck had been.

"Golduck."

"Oh. My. Freaking. Lord," Rose breathed.

"Is he…mine?" Tripp asked, his mouth agape.

The Golduck stood in the grass, the moonlight reflecting off the red jewel in his forehead; his powerful webbed hands were flexing, and his sharp beak looked menacing.

"I…believe so?"

"B-But how did this happen?" Tripp asked, unable to comprehend the situation.

"I suppose we must have been so eager to stop Weedle evolving, that we didn't notice Psyduck was doing so at the same time!"

"Geez…well…sorry buddy! I…I guess I missed your big moment," Tripp looked at Golduck guiltily.

"Gol Golduck. Duck Gol Golduck!"

Both teenagers laughed aloud, and Pichu screeched with delight.

"Of course you can eat with us!" Tripp chuckled, "Definitely my Psyduck!" he beamed to Rose, who too smiled as she remembered the yellow duck Pokémon's fondness for human food.

-o-

That night, as they built the campfire, Tripp was sweating freely. He was planning to tell Rose how he felt, and was going over and over in his head the best way to ask her to be his girlfriend.

Unfortunately, Rose had reached the conclusion that if Tripp _did_ like her, it was only because he wanted their adventure to be a cliché - that they would fall in love and travel together; perhaps have a tempestuous argument only to experience a fantastic, romantic reunion. She shuddered; that wasn't for her.

"Tripp, I –"

"Rose, I –"

They smiled nervously at one another.

"You go first?" Rose suggested.

Tripp shook his head quickly, "No, you."

Rose looked him steadily in the eye, before taking a deep breath.

"Okay, well. I know things have been…odd between us," Tripp nodded encouragingly, "and well, I think we need to put a stop to it."

Tripp smiled, and opened his mouth to speak. Here it was, the perfect moment, and best of all, she herself had brought it up! Before he could say anything however, Rose shushed him.

"I don't want you to get the wrong idea Tripp, but…whatever feelings you've conjured up for me, well, you need to be rid of them."

_Conjured up?_ Tripp thought, _what is she talking about?_

"We're best friends, you and I, and that's all we're supposed to be. I think you invited me on this adventure, hoping that we'd have some…whirlwind romance, and well…I don't think we will, or…or should."

Tripp could think of nothing to say. He was pleased for the firelight, as it hid the fact that his face was burning crimson. All he could bring himself to say was,

"What do you mean 'conjured up'?"

Rose frowned at the question; it wasn't the response she'd expected.

"Well, we've both said it enough times; you're like a brother to me, and I'm like a sister to you…I don't think you should invent romantic feelings for me because that's what you think is supposed to happen…"

Tripp's mouth fell open, _she doesn't think I actually like her_, he thought, dumbfounded; _she thinks I've invented these feelings…_

Hurt followed this realisation. _She doesn't like me in that way, she thinks of me as a brother, and she believes that deep down I think of her as a sister_; the thought made his stomach wrench painfully.

"Are…are you okay?" Rose asked tentatively; he wasn't acting as she'd expected at all. She believed he would tell her she was being silly, that he _didn't_ invent the feelings - that they _were_ real…but he didn't do this, and she couldn't understand why not. She was so sure he wanted this adventure to be like every other that they heard about.

"Yeah…" he managed, pride making him speak, "you're right," the words tasted bitter, "you're right, you are like a sister to me…"

Rose smiled in puzzled relief; although it was a lot easier than she had expected, she was confused. Tripp was more mature than she thought if he was able to admit his true feelings so easily, to get over this silly little notion of perfection that he had been planning.

"Well, that's fine then!" she smiled, as she bent over to unroll her sleeping bag.

Behind her back, Tripp's face fell and his stomach plummeted. He could never tell her now.

-o-

Tripp was subdued the next morning, but Rose let it go. She was impressed with his maturity the previous night, his not lying about his feelings. She therefore believed he deserved a little sulk, as they certainly wouldn't be having the type of adventure he had been hoping for.

Tripp felt hollow all throughout breakfast. He realised that even if he did manage to gather the courage to tell Rose how he felt, she wouldn't believe him. She was so certain that all he wanted was a story that he could tell with relish in years to come. He felt he could watch her freely now, as she didn't think he truly liked her anyway, but it only served to hurt him more. Her brown eyes were bright, animated; her dark brown hair caught the sun in its curling spirals, turning them to copper, and her ankle boots and shorts only served to emphasise her smooth brown legs. Tripp let out a sigh. Rose noticed, but held her tongue. She talked in a cheery monologue the whole morning, before their bags were packed and they were finally on the road again.

**AN:**

**Poor old Tripp ): I'd love to know what you think! I thought the evolution of Psyduck would be some tangible proof as to how good at training this pair seem to be! I'd love to hear any of your thoughts as usual (:**

**Love A x**


	7. Chapter 7

Pascalia awoke flat on her back in the middle of an unfamiliar field, and narrowed her eyes against the rising sun. She sat up slowly and pressed her fingers to her temples in an attempt to calm her raging headache. She looked around slowly and frowned as she realised she wasn't aware of her surroundings. Cursing inwardly she stood and arranged her cape so that it covered her lithe frame properly.

The field she was standing in was a little way outside of a town, and Pascalia angrily made her way towards it.

"Stupid girl," she muttered to herself. It wasn't that she wasn't strong enough to handle the powers of the Draco Silicis, she _knew_ that she was, in her veins ran the blood of the noble Dragon Tamers…it was simply a lack of food that rendered her weak. Yes, that was all.

-o-

"Look! What's that?" Rose asked excitedly as they approached Lovage Town. The town was filled with brightly coloured tents, and the aroma of candy-floss and popcorn filled the warm, sultry air.

Tripp only shrugged, but Rose pretended that she found nothing strange in his response. They approached a battered, wooden sign that had been tied to a fence outside the Pokémart.

"Lovage Town Fair; 21st -31st of August," Rose read, turning to her friend excitedly, "isn't this cool?!" she asked, beaming.

Tripp shrugged again, before realising that he was behaving miserably, "Pretty cool I suppose…"

Rose looked at him expectantly, "Well…did you want to explore?"

"Yeah I guess," Tripp tried to smile, but only managed a pained grimace.

Rose sighed inwardly.

_At least he's trying…_

-o-

Tripp appeared to have cheered up after they had bought a toffee apple each, and after Golduck won him both a Dragon Scale and a Fire Stone by shooting clay pots off a stand using his uncannily accurate Water Gun.

"Look!" he managed through a mouthful of toffee apple, "A fortune teller's tent!"

Rose rolled her eyes in disdain.

"_Really_?" she asked.

"What?" Tripp asked defensively.

"Surely you don't believe in that rubbish?" Rose asked laughing.

Just then a young woman walked gracefully out of the tent, smoothing her burgundy cape before she made her way towards the edge of town.

The teenagers followed her with their eyes.

"Did you see -" Rose started, but Tripp cut across her.

"She's…_beautiful_."

He had never seen anybody quite like her; her frame was tall and willowy, and she moved with unusual grace. Her hair was long and lilac in colour; slightly iridescent in the light of the setting sun and luxurious and thick, completely straight with a centre parting that framed her exquisite face.

"She was…" Rose agreed, "but did you see her eyes?"

Tripp frowned.

"No, why?"

Rose furrowed her brow as she thought, watching the young woman's back as she made her way out of the town's boundaries towards the road.

"Well, maybe it was a trick of the light…"

"What?!" Tripp asked impatiently, his toffee apple forgotten.

"Her pupils," Rose said simply, "they were slitted."

"Huh?"

"You know…like cat Pokémon have, or… or Dragon Pokémon."

Tripp considered this.

"You sure Ro? She looked human to me…"

Rose allowed herself a laugh.

"You're right I suppose, fancy a coffee?"

-o-

_Stupid woman_, Pascalia thought savagely to herself as she wandered down the road towards Rue Town. She pulled her cloak more tightly around her; she was cold, despite the fact it was late August.

She scowled to herself once more as she regarded the incident with the fortune teller. She had entered the small circular tent with the hood of her cape covering her face. The little old woman had stood suddenly when she entered, and looked at her fearfully. Pascalia had recoiled in disgust as she noticed just how many piercings the woman had on her face; pain of any kind was abhorrent to her. The woman had closed her eyes and spoken in a strange language, holding her palms up to the young woman, as though holding her back.

"Puterea de cristal, mă schimb..."

Pascalia had frowned, and lowered her hood so as to see more clearly. The tent was dark, and smelt overwhelmingly of incense. Pascalia, despite her recent change in body temperature, grew too hot…

-o-

Afina gasped as the young woman lowered her hood. She was stunningly beautiful, there was no denying that. Her perfect features complimented each other, and her pale lilac hair was thick and strong, glowing orange in the firelight. But despite the perfect shape of her almond, cat-like eyes, they terrified Afina more than she had ever been terrified in all her seventy years of reading futures. There was no white to her eyes. They were a sinister golden yellow, and her pupils were slitted - like a Dragon's.

Afina was no fool, she had sensed the overwhelming power of the blue crystal as it entered the tent with the young woman, but she had no idea just how enchanted the young woman had become by it.

It was all true then. Afina closed her eyes in horror; the old legend was coming true.

-o-

"Who was she I wonder?" Rose asked as she stirred her coffee.

"Pipi!" Pichu squeaked as he happily tucked into a poffin.

All of the other Pokémon agreed with the little electric mouse.

"I suppose you're right," Tripp said, slurping his cappuccino, "I've never seen anybody from around here dress like that."

"I still think she's a Dragon Tamer."

Tripp laughed, "Where's the proof in that?"

"Well, she had a cape! And her eyes…"

"Rose, will you forget about her eyes? Even if they were slitted (which I highly doubt) that doesn't mean she's a Dragon Tamer! I know they're weird people, but they don't _look_ like Dragons!"

Rose sulked as she finished her coffee.

"Shall we train?" Tripp asked tactfully.

"Good plan!" Rose smiled, "I want to train Vulpix more, and I _know _Horsea's getting closer to evolving!"

Dispute forgotten, they made their way into the fields outside Lovage Town.

-o-

Night was falling, and Pascalia still hadn't reached Rue Town, despite the fact that it should have taken her no more than an hour to walk the road. In her anger at the fortune teller, she had forgotten to buy food in Lovage Town. She was now stranded between Lovage and Rue, without the energy to either go back or go on. Although the evening was warm, her hands felt like ice, and she shivered uncontrollably in her burgundy cape.

She had been sat on the side of the road for more than two hours when she heard footsteps. A young girl was walking determinedly down the road, her eyes straight ahead; she hadn't noticed Pascalia.

"Excuse me!" she called. The girl started, and frowned into the gloom, where she saw Pascalia, sat alone on the side of the road. Her voice was harsh and cold, and Chelsea was unsure what to do.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you…"

Pascalia smiled and Chelsea relaxed. The woman was so pretty; surely she couldn't be a threat.

She took a step closer to the Dragon Tamer.

"Are you all right? Have you hurt yourself?"

"No, thank you dear," the word slipped off her tongue awkwardly, but she needed this girl's trust, "I'm just rather hungry, do you have anything to eat?"

Chelsea sat beside the young woman, and offered her the provisions she had bought in Lovage.

As Pascalia devoured the crisps and bottle of water, she decided she should act more politely. Chelsea's bag, she noticed, was adorned with ribbons that she had presumably won in contests.

"Do you participate in Pokémon contests?" Pascalia asked.

"Yes," Chelsea exclaimed, and her face lit up, "I'm not sure which I want to make my career, battling or performing."

Pascalia looked up, and Chelsea gasped as their eyes locked; she couldn't bring herself to look away from the horrific sight.

"Pick whichever career will make you more powerful," she whispered seductively.

"I'd like to be powerful," Chelsea repeated, entranced.

"I could offer you a job," Pascalia continued to whisper, "a career that would make you _incredibly_ powerful…"

-o-

Rose had a hard time rousing Tripp the following morning. They had trained until almost midnight and their Pokémon were growing ever stronger. Early on in the training session, Rose managed to catch herself an Oddish. Weedle once again attempted to evolve, and much to his disappointment, Tripp had once again prevented it.

"C'mon Tripp!" Rose yelled impatiently. It was quarter to nine, and he hadn't left his tent. They were normally packed up and on the road by half past eight. Early morning trainers had started to walk past their camp, and Rose was becoming self-conscious.

"I've prepared breakfast and everything! All you need to do is eat it and I'll pack away your tent for you!"

Tripp finally emerged, bleary eyed and tousle haired.

"Morning," Rose grinned, "sleeping beauty…" she added as she took in his appearance.

Tripp didn't even smile at the jibe, nor did he say anything as he sat down and began to eat his bread rolls. Rose supressed the urge to slap him and she moved to pack away his tent and sleeping bag.

_He's bound to be disappointed, _she thought, _but I can't deny I'm going to get pissed off if it carries on much longer… _

-o-

Tripp had said all of about ten words when they left the Pokémon Centre, and these had been all but forced from him by Rose.

_I just need to distract him again_; she thought tiredly, _he was better yesterday when we had the fair to talk about…_

Unfortunately it was the first of September, and the fair was being packed away. The tents were collapsed and the food stands wheeled into lorries, in preparation to travel to the next region.

Rose groaned to herself as she anticipated the hour long walk to Rue Town which, with a silent companion, was going to be undoubtedly tedious.

"Did you fancy training again on the way?" Tripp asked, surprising Rose, but also irritating her.

_So it's all right to talk when you fancy it, is it?_ She though mutinously.

"I'd like to, yeah," she replied. Fortunately, Tripp didn't realise that her tight smile was rather forced.

-o-

Over an hour later, eyes wide, Rose and Tripp watched in fascination as Horsea, after an exhilarating battle with a Weepinbell, started to evolve.

The little seahorse Pokémon was bathed in blinding light, before he started to contort strangely, growing first bigger, then smaller, wider, and then narrower. Again and again this happened, with increased speed until at last the light faded, and before them was Seadra, now almost as tall as his trainer, and looking rather shell-shocked.

Rose ran forward to embrace her Pokémon, tears of happiness in her brown eyes.

"Hor- I mean Seadra! Look at you!"

"Draaa!" he replied, happy now he realised what had just happened.

Pichu, Weedle and Geodude looked upon Seadra with awe, before realising that he was still their friend Horsea. With that, they too rushed forward and embraced the newly evolved Pokémon.

"A lot bigger than Horsea isn't he?" Tripp stammered, gobsmacked.

"I know!" Rose exclaimed, her eyes still wide from shock.

"Well…I guess we should…get going?" Tripp suggested.

"Not so fast!" a strange voice called.

Rose and Tripp looked up to see who had spoken. Tripp thought that he recognised the girl, but he couldn't think where on earth from.

"Rose isn't it?" she asked, a Pokéball in her hand.

"Yes…" Rose's frown suddenly disappeared, as though she had realised something. Tripp wished she would share it, he was rather confused.

"I just saw your little evolution," she sneered, "let's hope you're better at battling than you are at performing!" she laughed mockingly, "I choose you! Shinx!"

"You're on Chelsea," Rose snarled, "Go Seadra! Twister!" she commanded.

Tripp stood back to let the battle commence; he knew Rose well enough to know he didn't want to be anywhere near her firing line when she was this angry. And the girl, Chelsea, he remembered now - she had won the Pokémon contest in Jimbu with her Shinx. She was the girl that had been wearing the ridiculous frilly dress. It was no wonder he didn't recognise her, she looked almost normal in her jeans and t-shirt. Except for the ridiculous pink bows she still wore in her long blond hair.

"Thundershock Shinx!"

The attack hit Seadra squarely, but having just evolved, it barely affected him, despite the type disadvantage.

"Bubblebeam Seadra!"

Before Shinx had righted itself, Rose ordered him to use Twister once again, and Shinx fainted.

Chelsea growled, "Think you're clever do you? I choose you! Snubbull!"

Tripp blinked; he had genuinely never seen such an ugly looking Pokémon. Short, stout, and sickly pink, it suited Chelsea perfectly, he thought.

She caught his stare and mistook his disgust for admiration.

"I see you like my Pokémon - rare isn't he?" she grinned smugly, "Snubbull! Use Thunderfang!"

Seadra reeled in pain from the attack; Snubbull was clearly a higher level than Shinx.

"Again Snubbull!"

"Dodge it Seadra! Show it your speed!"

The attack missed, once, twice, three times, and Snubbull grew weary.

"Now Seadra! Water Gun!"

"Tackle it Snubbull!"

Seadra was too quick however, and Snubbull staggered, exhausted.

"One more Water Gun!"

And Snubbull fainted at last. Chelsea's eyes bulged in shock now that two of her Pokémon had been defeated.

Rose watched Seadra with concern. He was tiring fast, even before Chelsea's Pokémon they had been training for about an hour, he was close to fainting.

"Go! Smoochum!"

Tripp couldn't help but laugh at the little Pokémon; even Rose allowed herself a smile, it did look rather ridiculous with its oversized lips and blond hair.

"Come back Seadra! Go! Vulpix!"

"Use Confusion!"

Vulpix jumped backwards and managed to avoid the attack.

"Flamethrower Vulpix!"

The attack hit Smoochum critically, and to Chelsea's fury, being part ice type, Smoochum fainted in one.

"Whoa!" Tripp yelled, "Go Vulpix!"

Chelsea threw him a look of pure hatred, before turning back to the battle.

"See how easily you can deal with Staryu!"

"Come back Vulpix! Go! Oddish!"

Oddish jumped from foot to foot, eager to participate in her first battle.

"Use Mega Drain!"

The attack hit, but to Rose and Tripp's astonishment Chelsea smiled smugly.

"Recover Staryu!" the starfish Pokémon glowed an array of colours, before righting itself, fully healed.

"Now use Bubblebeam!"

"Don't give in Oddish! Use Absorb!"

Staryu was too quick however, and the attack missed.

"Show it your Water Gun Staryu!"

"Petal Dance!"

Once more Staryu managed to dodge the attack, and Oddish, unused to battling, began to weaken.

"Use Rapid Spin Staryu!"

Rose gasped in shock as Oddish faltered and fell, unable to withstand the attacks of the higher level water type Pokémon.

Chelsea shrieked in delight as Rose was forced to return the weed Pokémon to her Pokéball.

"Stupid bitch," Tripp muttered to his friend, "you've taken down three of her Pokémon, yet she almost wets herself in delight because her stupid starfish managed to dodge a few attacks…"

Rose allowed herself a small smile, touched by Tripp's loyalty.

"Let's see how she copes when we really get started," she whispered to him, "let's do it Pichu!"

Chelsea smirked when she saw her new opponent.

"A Pichu?" she laughed.

Pichu's cheeks fizzled with angry electricity.

"You think your electric rat's gonna beat my Staryu?"

"Probably," Rose grinned nonchalantly.

Chelsea scowled at the response, and sprang into action.

"Use Rapid Spin!"

"Show it your Agility Pichu!"

Pichu whizzed out of sight, much to Staryu's confusion.

"Bubblebeam Staryu!"

"Pichu! Use Pound!"

Chelsea shrieked with laughter.

"Too much of a baby to know any electric type moves Pichu?" she sneered.

"Yeah, that's right!" Rose called casually, "Pichu! Use Sweet Kiss!"

"Dodge it Staryu! Use Water Gun!"

"Use Agility!"

"Use Rapid Spin!"

"Pichu! Pound!"

"Staryu! Recover!"

Rose smiled, she had been waiting for this.

"Okay Pichu! Enough playing around! Use Thunderbolt!"

Chelsea raised her eyebrows in disbelief, but her disbelief only lasted a split second.

"_Chuuuuuu_!"

Pichu squeezed his eyes shut in intense concentration, and Chelsea's mouth fell open. Even Rose was taken aback; she had never known Pichu's Thunderbolt to be so powerful.

There was no hope for Staryu, who lay motionless in the road. Chelsea didn't even appear to notice; she just stared, astounded, at the tiny electric Pokémon before returning Staryu wordlessly to its Pokéball. She blinked rapidly, before lifting up her rucksack and running as quickly as she could towards Rue Town.

-o-

When Rose and Tripp eventually reached Rue Town themselves, they made their way straight to the Pokémon Centre for a reviving cup of coffee and a sandwich.

"Who did she think she was?" Tripp exclaimed angrily, as the pair sat down.

Rose laughed cheerily, "I don't know why you care so much – I thrashed her."

"I know but still! She was so…"

"Stupid?" Rose offered.

Tripp chuckled, "I can't deny that."

-o-

"I'm getting bored of towns," Tripp sighed, "I want to challenge another Gym!"

"I know what you mean," Rose agreed, picking at her ice-cream.

Despite the fact that they had only eaten lunch a couple of hours ago, Rose and Tripp, in their boredom, found themselves sat in the sun outside an ice cream Parlour. Tripp, cramming the last of his chocolate sundae into his mouth looked over at Rose.

"Another?"

"We've already had two each!"

"…So?"

"Toffee please," she grinned.

-o-

"If only my mum could see me now," Tripp groaned.

Rose giggled; Tripp's mother was incredibly healthy, so much so that she had become a vegan in the last couple of years, much to Tripp's disgust.

"You've got chocolate all around your mouth," Rose tutted, leaning across the table to dab at it with her napkin. Tripp eyed her shrewdly.

"Well everyone knows _that's_ the oldest trick in the book."

Rose tilted her head questioningly.

"What is?"

"You know…" Tripp grinned cheekily.

"I really don't," Rose replied shortly; she reckoned she knew where this was heading.

"I know you just wanna get closer to me," Tripp laughed, raising his eyebrows suggestively. However, he adopted a look of guilt when he saw the fury rising in Rose's eyes.

She opened her mouth to argue, when she was interrupted by a large _crack_.

Tripp yelped in fright and Rose jumped backwards in alarm. The tables outside the ice cream parlour were deserted, but the crack was incredibly loud, and far too close for comfort.

"W-what was that?" Rose stammered, looking around her.

Before Tripp could answer, there was another resounding _crack_.

"Look!" Tripp gasped, pointing to where their rucksacks lay discarded on the ground, "they're…_moving_."

Both teenagers hurried to unzip their bags where they found, to their excitement, that both of their eggs had cracked down the centre, and the baby Pokémon inside were struggling to free themselves.

"Let's put them on the table," Rose whispered, her brown eyes wide.

Tripp nodded in agreement, and the teenagers watched in wonder as little by little, small fragments of shell fell away from the pinkish-white eggs.

After fifteen tense minutes, their Pokémon finally emerged. They were identical, and stood shakily on their tiny legs, shaking their heads and causing their long ears to flap, as though disorientated. Each baby Pokémon turned to gaze at their new trainer, before squeaking simultaneously:

"Eevee?"

"Wow," Rose grinned.

"They're so cute!" Tripp squealed, surprising himself.

Rose laughed before picking up the tiny fox-like Pokémon and nestling it to her cheek.

"They're so warm! And soft!" she crooned.

Tripp began to laugh as his Eevee licked his nose in earnest. Rose's Eevee squirmed until it was placed on the table top, where it began to lick the remnants of toffee ice cream.

"Pichu!"

Pichu jumped from Rose's shoulder onto the table top, where he made his acquaintance with the two new Pokémon.

"Eevee's pretty rare, isn't it?" Tripp asked.

"I think so!" Rose answered.

"And it can evolve into three different types!"

"Something like that," Rose agreed, giggling as Eevee nibbled her fingers.

"Wouldn't you feel criminal training them? They're so teeny!"

"I know…I suppose we have to start somewhere though…"

"Rose!" Trip yelled in shock, his blue eyes wide, "I won a Fire Stone at the fair! _I could have a Flareon!_"

Rose bit her lip worriedly.

"But you just caught a Houndour…maybe you should wait?"

The excitement faded from Tripp's eyes.

"I suppose…what other types can it evolve into?"

Rose frowned in concentration.

"Well, definitely water, fire and electric…"

"What do you mean 'definitely'?"

"Well, there are rumours that Eevee can evolve in other different ways…but I don't know how true that is…"

"Wow," Tripp blinked, "that'd be pretty cool."

"I'm not sure it's true…and God only knows how it'd be achieved…"

Tripp shrugged

"Well, maybe we should look into it at some point…shall we get dinner?"

"Now?!"

"Well, it's six o'clock?"

"We just had three ice cream sundaes each!"

"I know, but I don't want to break our routine!" Rose laughed.

Tripp rolled his eyes, but gathered Eevee and his rucksack in his arms, and followed her nonetheless.

-o-

As they were setting up their tents that night Tripp, to Rose's irritation, had become quiet and sullen once more. She couldn't see why, as during the day he'd acted perfectly normally. It annoyed her, as she knew it was about the fact she wouldn't force herself to like him as he had done, and so felt they couldn't talk about it. It was therefore rather huffily that she unzipped her tent and wriggled into her sleeping bag.

"What's the matter?" Tripp asked, confused.

"Nothing!" Rose sang in a falsely cheery voice, rolling her eyes.

"What is it?" he asked, propping himself up on his elbow so as to see into her tent better.

"It's nothing Tripp."

"Please tell me?"

"It _doesn't matter_."

Tripp flinched; her tone was uncharacteristically harsh.

"Well now you're worrying me."

"I'm just tired."

She sat up and pulled her hair into a ponytail.

"…What?" she asked; Tripp was looking at her most strangely.

He smiled slightly.

"Nothing," he said, before lying down.

"Tripp…" Rose started warningly.

"What?"

"Just tell me!"

"Tell you what?"

Rose started to reply, but caught herself in time. _Exactly_, she thought, _what? 'Why were you looking at me funnily Tripp?' No, I can't say that…what if he wasn't? Then I look stupid…_

"Well?"

"You're right," she smiled falsely, "it's nothing."

-o-

"Right," Rose said the next morning, after all their things were packed, "the plan is, we have breakfast, and we get to Sage City as soon as we can."

"Deal, I'm dying for a proper battle."

"And I've thought about training our Eevees."

"Oh?"

"Well, we'll release Eevee first, but before they can be attacked, we'll switch them for our other Pokémon, and that way, Eevee will gain the experience but without getting hurt!"

Tripp gazed at Rose in awe.

"Genius."

"Ooh, be quiet!" she scowled, but Tripp saw her blush and smiled to himself.

-o-

After half an hour on the road, the Eevees were looking less frail, and they sat down for a water break.

"Shaping up aren't they?" Rose said, tickling her Eevee under the chin.

"Hey! We don't even know if they're male or female!" Tripp realised.

"Oh yeah…" Rose frowned, "I guess we can ask at the Pokémon Centre?"

"You could just check yourself?"

"What? No! That's weird!"

"Why?"

"I dunno…I don't wanna go…fiddling around with them!"

Tripp burst into laughter.

"Fine," he said, rolling his eyes.

"Funny is it?" Rose asked smirking, "Why don't _you_ have a look?"

"No! Gross!"

"Thank you" she said smugly, standing up and leaving Tripp to sulk.

-o-

After two attempted evolutions from Weedle, they were in sight of Sage City.

"There it is!" Tripp said, pointing.

"I cannot _wait_ to get inside the Gym," Rose said, her eyes glinting.

"Me neither," Tripp smiled, "feels like it's been an _age_."

The teenagers continued towards the city, but after about ten yards or so Rose stopped and looked back.

"Vulpix!" she called, "what are you doing?"

The fire type Pokémon appeared to be digging for something.

"What is it? What've you found?" Rose asked, approaching her Pokémon.

Vulpix buried her pointed face into the ground, and with an almighty tug, wrenched something from the earth with her teeth. Righting herself, she trotted over to Rose, and deposited her treasure into her trainer's hands.

"Is that…a Thunder Stone?" Tripp asked, looking over Rose's shoulder.

"I think so…" Rose said, turning it over in her hands. It was a green crystal, rather jagged with a small, yellow lightning bolt on one side.

"Does this mean…Pichu can become Pikachu?"

"I…I don't know. I suppose so?"

Pichu was eyeing the Thunderstone with awe.

"You wanna try it Pichu?" Rose asked; she was torn, she loved Pichu, but couldn't deny that the prospect of him evolving excited her.

Pichu nodded determinedly.

"Pi pi!"

"They just have to hold it," Tripp whispered.

Rose silently handed the Thunder Stone to Pichu, who took it in his tiny paws.

Everyone held their breath – but nothing happened.

"Pichu?"

"I don't know…" Rose frowned, "are you sure that's all you're meant to do?" she asked Tripp.

"Positive," he said, "I've seen my parents use stones a few times…"

Rose tried not to look disappointed.

"Maybe it's not real?" she said, "…another question for the Pokémon Centre I guess!"

She turned to Vulpix who was sat at her feet, looking up expectantly.

"Well done Vulpix," she smiled, "good spot!"

Vulpix closed her eyes happily and nuzzled Rose's leg, before going back into her Pokéball.

-o-

Sage City was the largest city they had come across so far. Buildings seemed to stretch upwards unendingly, and the swarm of people on the streets was overwhelming compared to the stillness of Lovage and Rue.

"Apparently the Pokémon Centre here is massive," Rose told Tripp, "my aunt and uncle live here, you know – Mona's parents."

The Pokémon Centre was indeed the largest the pair had laid eyes upon. Instead of one nurse at the desk, there were three desks, each with its own nurse.

"Wow…this place is huge!" Tripp said, his mouth agape.

Rose made her way to the desk.

"Hello, can we please heal our Pokémon?"

"Certainly!" the nurse smiled, "how many are there?"

"Well I have I have four, and you have?"

"Four too," Tripp said.

"If you'll just pass your Pokéballs to me…"

"I was also wondering if anyone could help us," Rose asked, "we've each just had an Eevee hatch, and we'd like to know their sexes?"

"Oh! Joy!" the nurse called, turning to the door behind her.

"Yes?" a faint voice answered.

"Two trainers here! Each have a baby Eevee!"

Nurse Joy appeared in the doorway; more senior than the other nurses, her uniform was blue instead of white.

"Oh, I just love baby – _Rose_!" she exclaimed, her hand over her heart.

"Aunty Joy!" Rose laughed, running past the desk to hug her mother's sister.

"Look at you! Look how you've grown! Why – the last time I saw you, you must have been…"

"Thirteen!"

"And now look at you!" Joy kissed Rose on the top of her head.

"How's Mona doing, do you know? And your mother _did_ mention that you would be starting a journey, but I didn't realise you'd get here so soon! And who is _this_ handsome chap?" she asked, gesturing towards Tripp, who stood to the side awkwardly, growing increasingly more red.

Rose laughed brightly.

"Aunty Joy, this is my best friend Tripp, Tripp, my mum's sister – Joy."

"Pleased to meet you," Tripp stammered.

"Now let's go and see to these Eevees, plenty of time to talk later!"

-o-

"Now this one here…is a boy!" Joy announced, handing Tripp his Eevee, "and yours Rose…is a girl! How fitting!"

"A girl…"

"Most certainly!" Joy beamed, "do you two have plans for this evening?"

Rose and Tripp looked at one another before shrugging.

"No, we're free!"

"Well then you must come to my house for dinner!"

"Why thanks Aunty Joy!" Rose beamed.

"Thanks very much Nurse Joy."

"Tripp, Tripp! Call me Joy! You may stay the night too if you wish?" Joy spoke incredibly quickly, and always had an air of being incredibly flustered.

"It's fine Aunty Joy, we have sleeping bags."

"I'll not hear of it! You'll stay at my house, in proper beds!"

"Thank you! Only if it isn't any trouble…"

"None at all! I finish work at six, and I live just next to the bakery in case you've forgotten?"

"We'll find it!"

"Good, good! Now off with you! Plenty more patients to treat I'm afraid!"

-o-

"I completely forgot she worked at the Pokémon Centre!" Rose laughed as they strolled round Sage City.

"You'd never guess she was your mum's sister…"

"Why not?" Rose asked, puzzled.

"Well, apart from the fact that they look pretty similar, they're completely different! Your mum's so calm, and Joy…"

"She's crazy isn't she?" Rose said, grinning.

"Yes," Tripp laughed, "didn't want to say it myself."

"Oh you would have realised soon enough, just wait until you see her house!"

They found the Gym fairly easily; a colossal white building with giant wooden doors that stood slightly ajar.

"It looks like a castle or something," Tripp said, craning his neck to see the top of the building.

"I wonder why it's so high?"

"No idea," Tripp replied.

"There's a sign, look!"

"'Englebert; far from Normal himself."

"What?!" said Rose, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, the 'N' is capitalised…so I assume he trains normal types?"

"Oh…" Rose said in comprehension, "I suppose you're right…"

"Did you wanna go in?"

Rose shrugged nervously.

"I guess so."

**AN:**

**Just how will they fare in their next Gym battle? Let me hear any thoughts! (or complaints :P)**

**Also, to let you all know I'm going away for three weeks and won't be updating until then (hence giving you two chapters today!) if you ever want the next installment…you'll have to review ;)**

**Love A x**


	8. Chapter 8

"What did you say?" she seethed, her menacing eyes glowing.

Hielo and Ledus exchanged terrified glances, both spluttering incomprehensively.

"Well?"

"They…er…we didn't have much of a chance -" Hielo mumbled, hiding behind his acid green hair.

"What do you mean?" she snapped.

"Th-the Lake Warden…he took our rods –"

"Rods?" Pascalia whispered, her slitted eyes narrowing.

"Super rods!" Ledus exclaimed, his eyes flitting to Hielo in fear.

"YOU CAN'T CATCH DEWGONG ON A ROD" Pascalia screamed. Her yellow eyes flashed and the two men took a hasty step back from her.

"We're sorry," Hielo said, trying desperately to salvage the situation.

"You are lucky," Pascalia began, "that I have recently come across a new agent; hopefully _she_ will be more of an asset to me than you two have proved to be. It will be _her_ that accompanies me to Fenugreek Town."

"We're so sorry," Ledus added, flushing in both fear and embarrassment.

"In the meantime," she continued, ignoring their grovels, "I want you to return to Hyssop Lake and finish the task you so miserably attempted."

"But the Lake Warden –"

"I DO NOT CARE. Do whatever you must to stall him, but bring as many Dewgong as you can to me."

-o-

"Greetings."

Rose and Tripp moved forward into the marble Gym, their tentative footsteps echoing off the walls. At the far end of the colossal space, just visible, was an old man. He was perched in a throne-like chair, constructed of gilded gold and red velvet. He stood as he greeted them, and clapped his knotted hands together in enthusiasm.

"Er…hello."

"And your name young man?"

"Tripp."

"And your girlfriend?"

Both Tripp and Rose blushed, mortified.

"My name's Rose...and I'm not his girlfriend.

"I'm happy to hear it; far too many youngsters courting nowadays…" he told them sternly; Rose and Tripp exchanged incredulous glances.

"You are, I presume, challengers?"

"We are," Tripp confirmed.

"Excellent…excellent. Well, I Englebert, have been the Master of the noble normal type for many a year. By truly understanding this fascinating type of Pokémon, I like to believe that I have succeeded in making my party (almost) invincible…I am assuming you still wish to challenge me?"

Rose studied the old man; his suit was crisp and his white hair immaculately parted. He was clearly a strong trainer; she could tell through his natural and easy confidence.

The teenagers nodded simultaneously in answer to his question.

"You!" Englebert shouted, pointing at Tripp, his voice clear and authoritative.

"Yes?" he asked uncertainly.

"I wish to challenge you first."

Rose and Tripp raised their eyebrows at one another.

"O-okay?"

"I will be using three Pokémon; you may use however many you need to try and win."

Tripp attempted not to look too surprised at this.

"That's fine," he nodded, mentally choosing a strategy.

"Excellent. I'm going to start with – Glameow!"

Tripp grinned.

"Then I'm going to use Houndour!"

The cat Pokémon and the dog Pokémon emerged in flashes of blinding light, and scrutinized one another from their opposite sides of the battle ground. Englebert began.

"Scratch Glameow!"

"Use Bite Houndour!"

Houndour's attack missed and Glameow retaliated with another stinging Scratch.

Houndour raised his hackles in anger, awaiting his next instruction.

"Show it your Ember!"

Glameow let out a high pitch squeal as it was burnt.

"Bite Houndour!"

"Glameow use Hypnosis!"

"Dodge it! Use Ember again!"

"Use Scratch Glameow!"

The cat Pokémon was in a lot of pain from the fire type attacks and could only move gingerly. Its Scratch was only half-hearted, and Houndour barely reeled.

"Tackle it!"

"Hypnosis!"

The wave hit Tripp's dog Pokémon, whom immediately succumbed to sleep, and slumped softly sideways.

"Aha!" Englebert rejoiced, only to gape in horror as Glameow toppled over and fainted, weakened by its smarting burn.

"Yes!" Tripp shouted, punching his fist into the air.

Englebert composed himself, and selected a Pokéball from his belt.

"Not bad young man, but let's see how you cope with – Buneary!"

Tripp used an Awakening on Houndour, who shook his head groggily as he stood.

"Use Pound Buneary!"

"Bite it Houndour!"

"Quick Attack!"

Houndour reeled, already weak from the previous battle.

"High Jump Kick Buneary!"

Houndour howled in pain, as the super effective attack hit it, before fainting heavily against the unyielding marble floor.

Tripp gulped and recalled Houndour, considering his next choice.

"Go! Golduck!"

Golduck snapped his beak menacingly as he advanced on the rabbit Pokémon.

"Use Confusion!"

"High Jump Kick Buneary!"

"Show it your Water Pulse!"

"Use Pound!"

"Confusion Golduck!"

Buneary staggered, but managed to right itself in time to launch another High Jump Kick.

Golduck managed to duck the kick and fired a Water Gun, which hit Buneary square in the face. The rabbit Pokémon was exhausted from the two battles. It valiantly attempted to get to its feet, but fatigue overtook it, and it too fainted.

Englebert managed to keep his face impassive, but Tripp grinned as he saw him wipe the perspiration from his forehead with a starched handkerchief.

"Surprising, young man - but don't think you've won it already! I choose Wigglytuff!"

Tripp blinked in shock, expecting to be faced with a far more impressive Pokémon. In fact, he relaxed slightly as he appreciated his next opponent.

From the side-lines, Rose bit her lip in worry, hoping that Tripp wouldn't do exactly that.

"Golduck use -"

"Thunderbolt Wigglytuff!"

Tripp's mouth fell open, as his prize Pokémon fainted right out from the immense electric attack.

Rose closed her eyes in horror, she was afraid something of this nature would happen; her cousin Mona owned a Jigglypuff that knew electric, fire, and water type attacks.

"R-return Golduck. Go! Weedle!"

"Rollout Wigglytuff!"

Weedle staggered, but righted himself almost instantly.

"Poison Sting!" Tripp called triumphantly.

Wigglytuff, slowed, its breathing becoming ragged. But to Tripp's horror and indignation, Englebert called:

"Use Rest!"

The pink Pokémon closed its eyes, and glowed slightly, fully healing itself. The move caused it to fall asleep, but Englebert was no ordinary trainer; Wigglytuff was holding a Lum berry, so that it woke up instantly.

"Rollout Wigglytuff!"

"Poison Sting!"

The attack missed, and Wigglytuff used Rollout once more.

Tripp panicked, ordering Weedle to Tackle the normal type Pokémon, forgetting in his haste that that particular move would have hardly any effect.

"Rollout again!"

Weedle couldn't cope with three Rollouts in a row, the final attack being considerably stronger than the previous two. Tripp began to sweat freely as he realised he had only one able Pokémon left. One against one.

Rose began to wring her hands in nervousness. Tripp had only Eevee and Geodude left, and the former could not yet battle. But that wasn't the end. Tripp had trained the rock type Pokémon hard recently, but Rose couldn't help but worry whether or not the type advantage would help him pull through. She could tell Englebert's Pokémon was highly trained.

"Go for it Geodude!" Tripp had remembered the type advantage, and a particle of his confidence returned.

Englebert frowned, neither Rollout nor Thunderbolt would work here, and that left him with very few options indeed. He surveyed the young man before him. He stood firm, his legs parallel with his shoulders. His blue eyes were sharp and keen and his fists were clenched, and Englebert could almost feel the determination radiating from him.

"Doubleslap Wigglytuff!"

Geodude barely winced, but grinned his rocky grin.

"Rock Throw Geodude!"

Wigglytuff cried out as the rocks rained down upon it, but returned determinedly to battle.

"Doubleslap again!"

Tripp started suddenly, a bubble of hope swelling in his abdomen; the attack had barely worked the previous time, but here was Englebert using it again. Tripp realised that neither Thunderbolt, Rollout nor Doubleslap were going to affect Geodude critically. He was elated, but also rather abashed. Why had he not thought to use this Pokémon in the first place?

"Now use Rockblast!"

"Use Rest Wigglytuff!"

But Wigglytuff was exhausted, and could barely stand. Screwing up its remaining energy, it was just about to comply, when Tripp ordered Geodude to use its final attack.

"Finish it off with Rock Throw!"

To nobody's surprise, Wigglytuff fainted heavily. Englebert reluctantly returned his last Pokémon to its Pokéball, before smiling at Tripp. He cleared his throat.

"I thought you were going to be an easy challenge…but I was wrong," he smiled warmly. "tthe end of the battle I sensed an inner strength in you young man."

Tripp blinked in surprise and pleasure.

"You just need the confidence to use it I think…yes. You're definitely following the right path to develop this strength. I am proud to present you with the Standard Badge."

Rose felt as though her chest was going to burst with pride. Although she knew Tripp was a strong trainer, she was always in fear of a repeat performance of his first Gym battle. After hearing Englebert praise him, and so tactfully telling him that he did indeed have strength, she felt as though he had finally put his disastrous losing experience behind him.

"I also look forward to challenging you, young lady."

Rose frowned in confusion. Before she could speak, Englebert made to leave his Gym.

"Can't I challenge you now?" she stammered awkwardly.

The Gym Leader looked at her in surprise.

"You could…but I'm about to have my dinner. You may return at eight if you wish."

-o-

"He certainly likes to do things his own way," Rose grumbled. She felt incredibly twitchy now that she had been denied a battle. Patience was not a virtue she possessed.

"I know! I can't believe he pretty much ordered me to go first!"

"At least your battle is over…and well done by the way, you were brilliant."

"Thanks Ro," he smiled, pecking her on the cheek.

Rose's eyes widened, and Tripp looked straight ahead, mortified. He couldn't quite figure out where he had found the confidence to do that, especially after their 'conversation'.

Rose's stomach jolted at the kiss. She didn't quite understand why. She assumed it was the shock; after all they had only recently agreed that nothing good would come out of them being together. A kiss was the last thing she expected. _That's probably why it felt weird_, she convinced herself.

-o-

The bakery didn't prove difficult to find. Owned by a French patisserie chef, it attracted scores of customers. Rose and Tripp only had to follow the streams of people holding pale pink paper bags filled with baked goods to find the bakery itself.

"We should buy your aunty something," Tripp suggested, "as she's having us to dinner and everything."

Rose looked at her friend in surprise.

"Good idea!"

The door tinkled as they opened it, and they were hit with the warm, almost spicy smell of baked sugar.

"Ah! Bonjour! You will 'ave to be ze last customers of ze day! I close at seven o'clock!"

The speaker was a rotund French man, with an amiable ruddy face, and forearms white with flour.

Rose and Tripp gaped at the display. Never before had they seen such an exciting array of cakes, pastries, and biscuits.

"What is it you would like?" the French baker asked, piping his last macaron with a flourish, before sliding the tray into the oven.

"Um…"

"We…don't know," Rose finished lamely.

"Will it be for yourselves?"

"No, it's a present," Tripp told him.

"For my aunty."

"Ah! A gift! In that case, you must buy a box of my famous _macarons_!"

He showed Rose and Tripp a platter of the prettiest little meringue biscuits. There seemed to be hundreds of colours to choose from; deep forest green to the palest lime, shocking red and delicate pink, violet, lilac, light blue and turquoise, lemon yellow and florescent orange, each with a corresponding flavour.

"I can't choose!"

"Me neither!" Tripp exclaimed, looking terrified at the thought.

"In that case, I will prepare you a selection!" the French baker boomed, before taking one of each macaron and placing them tenderly in a pale rose coloured box.

-o-

"Forty fucking Pokéloans!"

"It _is_ a bit pricey…but they're so awesome looking!" Tripp tried to convince his friend.

"I guess it's only twenty each…but I was expecting to pay about five!"

"You know I don't mind paying…"

Rose glared at Tripp icily.

"Or not…" he sighed. It irritated him that Rose was so touchy about money. He didn't expect her to pay when it was his idea anyway.

-o-

When they arrived at Nurse Joy's front door, which was literally next door to the bakery, they had to forget their less than friendly feelings towards one another.

The door swung open and Nurse Joy stood in the doorway, looking even more erratic with the absence of her professional uniform. She wore a tie-dye orange top, paired with faded blue jeans and sandals. Her hair, without her nurse's cap to tame it, was flyaway and tumbling out of its loose bun.

"Rose! And Tripp!" she beamed.

The house, they noticed as they stepped into it, smelt heavenly.

"I hope you haven't gone to too much trouble Aunty Joy," Rose asked worriedly, chewing on her bottom lip.

"Not at all, not at all! You're sounding too much like Hope, Rose…now let me show you where you'll be sleeping!"

-o-

Tripp felt very comfortable in Joy's house. He had been given the spare room to sleep in, which was light and fresh, the bedding crisp and clean. He knew what Rose meant when she said that he had to 'see her house'. The spare room was the only room in the house that felt as though it had any space. Almost every surface in the house was covered with Pokédolls, which Nurse Joy apparently collected. Framed too, were paintings of Pokémon, so numerous that it was difficult to make out the colour of the wall paper. Vases of flowers covered every surface that wasn't abundant with dolls, giving the house both a sweet and clean smell.

Rose lay back on Mona's bed, and closed her eyes. She had forgotten just how comfortable a bed was. She could hear the water gushing through the pipes, from where Tripp was showering in the bathroom, and the gentle, rhythmic thrum made her eyelids heavy. She was so warm, and the pillow was so soft…

After Tripp had dressed, he made his way to Mona's bedroom. He had barely managed to say two words to Rose since they had entered the house. He knocked gently on the bedroom door and opened it. Rose was lying curled up on the bed, her long hair streaming down her back. He gulped as he appreciated just how glossy her hair was, and how her long eyelashes cast a slight shadow on her cheeks. Her mouth was small, but her lips were plump, and without thinking, Tripp reached out to stroke her face with the back of his hand. Her eyelids fluttered and, realising what he had done, he left the room before she awoke. Back in his bedroom he sank onto the bed and held his face in his hands. He couldn't have her as just a friend, it would kill him. He sighed as he realised that was all he could ever have. He grimaced as he decided that as painful as it was, it was better than nothing.

-o-

Nurse Joy had cooked a splendid three course dinner, and had opened a bottle of expensive wine. Rose and Tripp, who had been living mainly off the Trainer's Lodge food, ate with gusto. Tripp had a good time, joking with Nurse Joy's husband who in stark contrast to her was very quiet. He appeared to take a shine to Tripp however, and spent much of the evening telling him jokes that had the younger man clutching his sides from laughter. After a home-made chocolate tart, Rose and Tripp presented their hosts with the macarons. To their shock, Nurse Joy turned livid.

"How much did you two pay for these?! When I invited you here for dinner, I did not expect any payment! I wanted to treat you! Travelling is a difficult business! I did not want you to spend your hard earned money paying for ridiculously expensive French cakes!" she fumed.

Her husband however, took a macaron from the box and winked at the teenagers.

"I do believe the French refer to them as cookies, Joy dear, not cakes…thank you very much by the way kids, you needn't have."

Nurse Joy became flustered.

"Well…well of course I'm grateful! I'm overjoyed! It's only that…that I wish you hadn't gone to the trouble!"

Rose, who had been trying not to laugh during the whole spectacle, composed herself.

"Really Aunty Joy, it's nothing, we wanted to."

"It's true, and thank you for the lovely dinner," Tripp added.

"Y-you're welcome," Joy bustled out to the kitchen to begin clearing up, adamantly refusing to be helped.

-o-

"I hope you didn't take that to heart," her husband smiled, as they sat down with a cup of tea in the living room, "she loves to look after people, and finds it an insult if people think she expects something in return."

"I know, it's fine," Rose smiled at her uncle, "I found it quite funny to be honest, she's so different from my mum."

"She's something special," he laughed.

Rose and Tripp had let their Eevees out of their Pokéballs, and the trio watched as they played together on the rug.

"Oh, I do love Eevees!" Joy beamed as she came into the living room, bringing with her, to her husband's amusement, the box of macarons. She scooped both Eevees up and sat back on the sofa whilst they nuzzled her face.

"They're still babies mind, I hope you're not training them yet?" she asked disapprovingly, "they look as though they've been toughened up slightly…"

"Not as such…" Rose said uncomfortably.

"What do you mean?" Joy asked sharply, "they really are too young to battle Rose…"

"Rose came up with a strategy," Tripp interrupted, "a really quite good one."

"Oh?" Uncle Jim asked; he had been a Pokémon trainer in his younger years.

Rose explained how she engineered the battle so that Eevee came to no harm, but still gained experience.

Jim and Joy gaped at their niece, and Tripp watched with pride.

"And you thought of this…by yourself?" her uncle asked.

Rose shrugged, "It's nothing really…"

"It is," Tripp smiled, "it's brilliant."

Rose looked up at him; they had barely spoken since the money dispute outside the bakery. She started as she looked into his blue eyes. In the dim light from the lamp, they burned intensely bright. She wasn't sure what it was, but she couldn't seem to look away; her limbs turned cold and her heartbeat increased as they stared at one another.

Jim and Joy exchanged amused glances, neither of them entirely sure what to make of the situation.

Rose snapped back to reality and looked away from Tripp, flushing with heat as she realised what had just happened.

"I'm going to have a bath if that's okay?" she stammered.

"Of course, of course!" Joy waved her off, and Rose all but sprinted for the stairs.

"Would you like anything else, Tripp?" Jim asked, as he made his way to the kitchen for another cup of tea.

"No thank you!" he called. He turned to Joy, who to his surprise was smiling knowingly at him.

-o-

Rose cursed herself as she lay in the bath. She had no idea what just came over her, and she flushed once more as she realised how it must have looked.

_You've only gone and given him ideas now_, she fumed to herself_, it's not even as though I fancy him! He's Tripp! What're you playing at Rose? Staring at him like that…_

She sat up as she remembered how he had kissed her cheek after his Gym battle. She touched the spot tenderly, before shaking her head. _He said he didn't really like me like that, he admitted that he only wanted a 'perfect adventure'…_

Ever rational, Rose came to her conclusion as she finished her bath and began drying her long hair methodically. _It was the wine at dinner_, she thought, _it addled both our minds and somehow had us staring at one another. He doesn't like me and I _certainly_ don't like him. _

At this last thought, her brow furrowed, and she fell back on her bed and sighed heavily. She didn't know what to think.

-o-

When Tripp was back in his bedroom, he sat on the floor with his back against the wall. He knew that Rose didn't like him in that way, and he also realised that if he kept pushing her for it, he would only drive her further away. That had been proved with both the kiss from earlier, and the staring not long ago. As he sat, he also thought of everything bad that would come of them being in a relationship.

After about fifteen minutes of deep thought, he smiled sadly to himself.

_We're not meant to be._

As soon as he had this realisation, he felt as though a weight had been lifted from his chest, and he felt curiously light. He knew he had been acting oddly the past few days, and he realised now it was because he was pining for what he could not have. He could now concentrate on what mattered, their friendship, and becoming the best trainer he could be. He would always love her, but now he had to concentrate on loving her as he should. His best friend and nothing more.

-o-

Rose had been pacing Mona's bedroom for the best part of fifteen minutes. She was scared and confused; she didn't know what to think. She decided that she just needed to talk to Tripp, only then could she get her thoughts straight.

She knocked softly on his bedroom door, but there was no response. She took hold of the door handle, and gently turned it. From the light of the landing, she could see Tripp lying in bed. He was asleep. For reasons unbeknownst to her, she moved through the room towards him, and gazed down upon his sleeping form. With an uncomfortable jolt that was becoming all the more familiar to her as of late, she realised for the first time that her friend was very good looking. She noticed his straight nose, and full lips. She noticed how his longish dark hair was falling into his closed eyes and she brushed it aside with her hand. She jumped backwards in shock as Tripp rolled onto his back, but she relaxed slightly as she realised that she had not woken him. The covers had shifted, and she scolded herself inwardly for noticing the muscle definition of his chest, and how smooth the skin of his shoulders was. It took all of her self-restraint not to reach out a hand once more and stroke his skin. Horrified at herself, and at how weak she had suddenly become, Rose fled for her own room, and dived into the bed, her new realisation terrifying her.

-o-

The next morning Rose came out of the bathroom just as Tripp was about to enter it.

"Morning!" he said cheerfully; he'd had a good night's sleep for the first time in days after coming to his conclusion.

"Hello," Rose replied somewhat stiffly. She was shocked at his light tone; it had seemed like an age since he hadn't woken in a mood.

Tripp smiled to himself, wondering if she always sounded that unenthusiastic, and he'd just never noticed.

-o-

When they had finished their (cooked) breakfast, and thanked Nurse Joy and Jim profusely before they left for work, Rose and Tripp were on their way again.

"You still need to challenge the Gym!" Tripp exclaimed, staring at his friend.

Rose shrugged, "Did you forget?"

Tripp laughed in response, "I suppose I did…are you all right?"

There was something wrong with Rose this morning, though he couldn't quite figure out what it was.

"Of course…why?"

"I just thought you seemed a little…off. Obviously not," he grinned.

Rose turned away from his smile. Tripp noticed, but decided to drop it.

When they reached the Gym, Rose turned to Tripp and forced herself to look him in the eye.

"Can you wait here?"

"What?!"

"Whilst I battle. Can you please wait outside?"

"Why?!" Tripp asked, flabbergasted.

Rose hesitated.

"I don't want to be distracted," she said, hoping a double bluff would save her.

Tripp frowned, but nodded.

"If that's what you want…" he said.

-o-

He sat outside the Gym for over half an hour, wondering what on earth had come over Rose. She had been fine yesterday, until their very minor dispute over money, and although they didn't talk very much at her aunty's house, he didn't think there had been anything particularly wrong with their exchanges. It had all started when he complimented her, and they had somehow ended up staring at one another. After that…he didn't know what had changed.

He sat up straight suddenly, as he remembered the photograph. If he had noticed it, surely Rose had.

It had been in the dining room, on the dresser. She must have seen it whilst they had dinner. Perhaps the reference to her training skills from her aunty and uncle had reminded her of her father, who had left them to become a trainer…

Tripp closed his eyes as he pictured the photograph. Rose, about four years old, her curly hair as it always had been, tumbling down her back in dark brown waves. She was sat on the lap of a black haired, handsome young man; they shared the same brown eyes. Her father. Sat on Rose's lap was a Growlithe; both father and daughter were laughing as the dog Pokémon licked Rose's ear.

Snapping out of his reverie, Tripp made a decision.

_If I ever have children_, _I'll never leave them for selfish reasons; never_.

**AN:**

**[I'm back! And here is the new chapter as promised (:]**

**Ooh dear, so that was unexpected! Poor Rose, just as Tripp decides they're better as friends…she's not overly pleased by her 'feelings' though, as you might have gathered.**

**Next chapter we find out the outcome of Rose's battle, and we also meet a (sort of) new character… I'd love to hear from you as always!**

**Love A. x**


	9. Chapter 9

At nine o'clock, Elliot was packing away his medicines after a very long and dull day. He had had many challengers, and not one had proved themselves to be worthy of the Rapids Badge. He thought back to Rose and Tripp's battles and smiled to himself.

He heard the glass doors of his Gym swing open, and turned to face them, startled. Two

silhouettes stood in the doorway.

"Sorry!" Elliot called, his voice echoing slightly, "I'm closed now until the morning…"

He ceased to continue speaking when he noticed that the two figures were moving slowly across the Gym towards him.

Elliot frowned slightly as he recognised them. One had acid green hair, the other electric blue. Their jaws were set, and just as Elliot was about to inquire after what it was they wanted, he noticed the bat.

And all went black.

-o-

When Rose stepped out of the Gym, Tripp could gauge nothing from her facial expression. Only when he saw Pichu bounding along in her wake did he relax slightly.

"How did it go?" he asked tentatively, still not completely sure of the outcome.

Rose managed a smile.

"We won."

Tripp exhaled heavily.

"I knew you would."

"You seem rather relieved, considering," Rose retorted, her eyebrows raised in amusement.

"Piiiiiiichuuuuu!" Pichu squealed, hopping onto Tripp's shoulder and back onto the ground before running circles around Rose's feet.

"What's up with him?"

Rose frowned at her Pokémon's erratic behaviour, "I have absolutely no idea…"

"D'you fancy lunch?"

Rose wrinkled her nose, "Not particularly after that breakfast."

Tripp laughed, "All right then; what do you say to heading to the next town?"

"Chu chu chu chu chuuuu!"

"Pichu, what's the matter with you?" Rose exclaimed, trying, and failing, to catch Pichu who continued to run around her with dizzying speed.

"Anything happen to him in the battle?" Tripp attempted to ask casually, he was rather confused, and offended. as to why Rose didn't want him to be there.

"Not that I can think of…Pichu probably performed better than he ever has, and Vulpix proved to be much stronger too."

"Weird…wonder what's up with him then?"

Rose shrugged, "Let's get going."

-o-

On the dusty road to Fenugreek, Rose became increasingly annoyed with Pichu, who for reasons unbeknownst to her, would not calm down.

"Pichu! I will put you in your Pokéball…d'you hear me?!" she yelled, as the excitable Pokémon scrambled up a tree in glee.

"I don't think he really cares Ro," Tripp grinned. He found the situation rather amusing, as it was a rare occurrence that Rose found something to be beyond either her understanding or control.

He soon stopped smiling however, when Rose shot him a withering glare. He couldn't help but notice it was the first time all day that she had looked him in the eye.

-o-

After having spent the greater part of the afternoon trekking up the hot and dusty road, Rose and Tripp decided to stop for a drink. They sat on the roadside and gulped gratefully at their full water bottles.

"Shall we give the Pokémon some food?" Tripp suggested.

Rose shook her head through her mouthful of water before swallowing.

"No, Pichu will get so excited his head'll explode – best leave it until he's calmed down."

Tripp closed his eyes against the brash brightness of the sun.

"Shall we train a bit?"

Rose inclined her head to the side as she considered his suggestion.

"I suppose we should, we've been slacking recently…"

"Your Pokémon are looking formidable," Tripp gaped, as he wiped his forehead once again after the heat from Vulpix's Flamethrower.

"Same goes for yours," Rose replied, busying herself with her Pokéball belt so as she didn't have to look at Tripp. This didn't go unnoticed by him.

"Are you okay?"

She noticed the inflection of concern in his voice, and cursed herself for being so obvious.

"Pichu's getting on my nerves," she said, desperate for a cover story. It was easy to lie as this was in fact true. She scanned the elm trees, where every now and again she caught a glimpse of a small yellow bundle whizzing through the branches. Pichu had refused to train.

Tripp didn't believe her answer, as she had definitely been acting oddly before her Gym battle, but he didn't press the matter any further.

"You don't reckon…" he hesitated.

"What?" Rose asked.

"That…well. I dunno. Maybe Pichu's being disobedient because…?"

"Well?"

Tripp started to blush; he could feel his face burning. _Back out now Tripp, just back out_.

"Maybe he's at too high a level for you?"

_Why the fuck did I say that?_

-o-

Rose's mouth fell open in genuine hurt. Trainers whose Pokémon were too high a level for them were usually highly incompetent, and it offended her greatly that Tripp suggested she was one of them. She could see that he regretted saying it as soon as he opened his mouth, but she didn't care to hear any apologies. Picking up her rucksack, and ensuring her Pokéball belt was secure, she continued down the road.

"Rose, I'm sorry, I don't really think -"

She turned sharply around, and injecting as much venom as she possibly could into her voice said, "Just _shut_ up Tripp, okay?"

Furious now, Tripp grabbed her arm and spun her around to face him, forcing her to look him in the eye. He smiled cruelly as she tried to avoid his gaze, and held her chin steady so that her brown eyes had to meet his blue ones.

"Why haven't you looked at me all day?"

Rose bit her lip.

"And why didn't you let me into your Gym battle?"

He felt satisfied as he saw the guilt on her face. Letting go of her chin, he waited for her to speak. She remained silent.

"Well?"

When she finally spoke, her voice was gravelly, but as though realising her mistake, she looked him in the eye levelly.

"Do you trust me?"

Tripp blinked in confusion, not expecting the question.

"Yeah, but what has that got to –?"

"Then trust me when I tell you that it's something I just need to get over on my own, okay?"

Her eyes glittered oddly as she stared into his.

Tripp opened his mouth to protest, but Rose held a finger up to his lips.

"Trust me."

-o-

Fenugreek Town was quite unlike anything Rose had ever experienced. Before embarking on her journey with Tripp, she had never left Chicory Town, and was therefore enthralled at what she had found. Fenugreek was a large town, famous in the region of Sesame due to its beautiful beach. A few miles of white sand and sparkling blue sea gave the town a fresh salty breeze, perfect to counteract the sweltering sun that was constant for most of the year. Fenugreek was alive with ice-cream parlours, fish and chip shops, and sunlit cafés, whose sun-faded parasols gave them a cheerful and inviting air.

"Wow," Rose breathed.

Tripp grinned, "I forgot that you've never left home before…this must be pretty cool to you."

"It's amazing!" she turned to Tripp with bright animated eyes, momentarily forgetting her new, strange feelings towards him, "Can we have fish and chips for lunch?"

Tripp laughed good-naturedly, happy that he finally seemed to have gotten through to her.

"If you want, but it's not that exciting…"

"Please, please, please, please, pleeaaase?" she begged, jumping up and down on the spot.

Tripp could do nothing but laugh once more; he was confused, but relieved that her lively nature was shining through again after the last two days of dismal conversation.

"Sure, but you have to let me order for you."

"Surely there's not much to choose from?" Rose laughed, "Fish and chips?"

"You'll see."

-o-

They sat outside the fish and chip shop on a small wooden table, which was cluttered with the paper wrappings of their meal.

"Right, so I have…?"

"Battered cod," Tripp told her, "along with chips (as I'm sure you know), and two sides, mushy peas and curry sauce."

Rose prodded the green gunge with her little wooden fork.

"Why are they mushy?"

Tripp shrugged, shovelling chips into his mouth hungrily.

Rose tentatively dipped a chip into the mushy pea concoction before taking a bite. Tripp couldn't help but laugh when he saw her grimace.

"No? Try the curry sauce."

Rose sighed heavily, before dipping another chip into the yellowish-brown liquid.

"Well?"

"It's okay…but I prefer them plain I think."

Tripp rolled his eyes at her.

"You would."

When they had finished, they sat back in the sun and waited until they felt less full before they would even consider moving.

Tripp checked his watch, "Two o'clock…we'd better get the Pokémon some food soon."

Rose closed her eyes and groaned. Pichu had become so excitable in the end that he had given her a headache, and gave her no choice but to force him unceremoniously into his Pokéball.

"Okay, okay…I saw the Pokémon Centre not far from here…it was by the pale blue café I think."

-o-

The interior of the Pokémon Centre felt unusually cool and dark after the bright sunlight outside. Rose and Tripp bought a selection of poffins each whilst they waited for their Pokémon's health to be fully restored. The process seemed to be taking a good deal longer than usual, so they retired to the Trainer's Lodge to grab a cup of tea. As they sat down, a news report caught their attention; they turned to the television which was mounted on the wall.

"…Fennel City Gym Leader Elliot has been found badly beaten inside his Gym. The incident is being investigated by the Police, who apparently have no new leads."

Rose and Tripp exclaimed horrified glances.

"Who on earth would attack Elliot?" Rose asked, feeling rather sick with shock.

Tripp frowned, "I don't know…maybe a pride-wounded trainer?"

"They should contact all of the trainers who battled him that day…I bet you're right, and it was one of them that lost the battle…"

They continued to drink their tea in silence. In the background, the news reporter continued with the next story.

"The caves on Fenugreek Beach are currently being examined by experts, as it appears that the levels of Shellder and Spheal living there have -"

Just as Tripp began to tune in to the next report, a sharp beep sounded, and they looked up to see that their names had appeared on the board; their Pokémon had been healed.

As the nurse handed Rose her Pokéballs, she smiled.

"That's a very Happy Pichu you've got there, we could barely treat him he was so excitable," she said, before winking.

"I know," Rose glowered, "thank you," she said, clipping the Pokéballs onto her empty belt.

"D'you mind if we go back to the Lodge for a minute?" Tripp asked, "There was an interesting news report…"

As Tripp sat and listened to the news, Rose selected a spicy poffin from her case, and released Pichu from his Pokéball. The little Pokémon was so pleased to finally have escaped his prison, that he threw his little arms around Rose's neck and licked her on the nose. She laughed as she stroked her Pokémon's ears.

"Sorry little guy," she said, "but you did give me quite a headache earlier…"

Pichu however, much to her annoyance, had spotted the red treat in her hand, and began to bounce erratically on the table in an attempt to reach it.

"Now, now," Rose said sternly, raising the poffin above her head, "if you want this, you're going to have to calm- PICHU!" she shouted.

"Shh!" Tripp said angrily, before turning back to the television.

Pichu had snatched the poffin from Rose's hand, and was tucking into it happily. She was about to take it from him, and had prepared herself to scold, when her voice died in her throat.

Pichu began to glow, before flashing a blinding white. His little form began to distort slowly, getting faster and faster. Tripp realised what was happening, and stared at the little Pokémon, the news report forgotten. A few Pokémon trainers in their vicinity too noticed what was going on, and gathered around their table; it wasn't every day you saw a Pichu evolve.

-o-

What the evolution was complete, the trainers who had been watching clapped and cheered. 'Pikachu', bewildered at the noise, looked down towards his half-finished poffin. He noticed the change in his paws first; they were slightly larger, and a brighter shade of yellow than normal. As he stood, he felt as though his centre of gravity had shifted, and turned around to see a magnificent lightning-bolt shaped tail. His eyes widened as he registered what had happened, and looked up at Rose. Her face mirrored his exactly, and he finally smiled with happiness.

"Pika! Pika pi!"

Rose too laughed, "Pichu! I mean – Pikachu!" she laughed again, "Is this why you were behaving so weirdly? You were…'happy'?"

The nurse, who had also come to watch the transformation, spoke.

"Indeed it was! It is misnamed really, as 'Happiness'; think of it more as pent up energy that needs to be released. As the energy is released through pleasurable experiences, as opposed to the gain of experience points or exposure to an evolutionary stone, it was given the rather misleading name."

Rose gave a soft "Oh!" in comprehension.

"You knew this was going to happen didn't you?" she smiled, "that's why you winked?"

"I did indeed, honey."

The nurse returned her smile before walking back to her station, leaving Rose feeling both elated and shocked.

-o-

Late afternoon found Rose, Tripp and their Pokémon lounging on the white sands of Fenugreek beach. Having finally gotten over the sudden evolution of Pichu, the pair turned to more pressing topics of conversation.

"Did they say anything else about Elliot?" Rose asked, trying extremely hard to keep her eyes from Tripp's chest; he had removed his t-shirt in the heat.

He frowned before answering.

"You know they don't have any new leads…you watched it!"

"But what about just before Pichu evolved? You said you wanted to watch something…"

"Oh! That wasn't about Elliot."

"No?"

"Nah, it was about Fenugreek Beach actually…"

"Really?" Rose asked, propping herself up on her elbows to listen.

"Yeah…something about the levels of Shellder and Spheal having declined, and they don't think there's a natural reason; said they were checking their food supply this afternoon."

He squinted over to a cluster of caves at the far end of the beach, where a group of people in white coats were emerging.

"Shall we see what's going on?"

Rose shrugged.

"If you like?"

She walked down to the shore where their Pokémon were playing in the shallows.

"We're just going over to the caves," she told them, "don't wander off, okay?"

Walking back up the beach, she and Tripp approached the caves, where a number of scientists were scribbling on clipboards. Tripp spotted a shiny blond bob, and nudged Rose in the ribs.

"Is that…?"

"Cristine?!" Rose gasped.

Torston's sister turned at the sound of her name and smiled as she recognised the trainers.

"Hey! I take it you beat my little twat of a brother in the end?" she grinned.

Rose and Tripp smiled apologetically.

"How many badges have you got now?" she peered at the collection on the jacket that Tripp had draped over his arm, "four each? Not bad! Soon you'll be battling me," she laughed.

"What're you doing here?" Rose asked, "Why aren't you at the League?"

"Well, there haven't been any challengers as of late, s'been dead, and as the Champion refuses, I've been asked to come and oversee what's going on here…"she frowned.

"What's the verdict?" asked Tripp.

"Well, the levels of Shellder and Spheal certainly _have_ decreased, and quite drastically, but we've decided it isn't due to diet."

"How come?" Rose asked.

"Well, Marill and Poliwag share the same diet, and their numbers haven't changed at all; if anything they've risen because there's more food to go around with Shellder and Spheal's absence…"

Tripp smiled as he noticed Rose's brow furrowed in concentration.

"Well?" he smiled, recognising her 'look'.

"Well what?" Cristine asked, confused.

"I was just thinking…" Rose said slowly, chewing her bottom lip as she ordered her thoughts.

"Yes?" Cristine prompted.

Rose turned to Tripp, "Those men at Hyssop Lake…"

Cristine looked bewildered; she was not following the conversation at all.

"Yeah?"

"Well, they were after Dewgong…an ice type."

"So?"

"Well, Shellder and Spheal evolve into ice types don't they?" she asked Cristine.

The young woman's blue-grey eyes widened as she considered this.

"You mean they could all have been…_captured_?"

"Well I don't know!" Rose said hastily, "it's only a theory…"

"Who was at the lake? Who was after Dewgong?" Cristine asked, frenzied.

"It was two men," Tripp said, "they were pretty freaky looking; really tall, crazy hair…"

"Do you know who they are? Do you have their names?"

"No, sorry," the teenagers responded.

"Elliot might know?" Tripp suggested, "He _did_ have a go at them for disturbing the lake…"

"Elliot?" Cristine asked, confused.

"The Fennel City Gym Leader," Rose told her, "he's also Hyssop Lake warden…he's been found badly beaten though, so I don't know if he's come around yet…"

"_Rose_!" Tripp yelled, causing the two girls to jump in fright, "That's it!"

"What's 'it'?"

"Elliot! He had a go at those guys, and now he's been found beaten! Water types that evolve into ice-types have gone missing…and I'll bet my life the number of Dewgong in Hyssop Lake has declined as well!"

Rose slapped her hand to her forehead, "You're right! You're so right!"

"If what you're saying is true, I want to go and check out the Lake right now," Cristine told them, " D'you want to come?"

Rose and Tripp hesitated.

"I'm really interested in what's happened…" Rose began.

"But I think we need to continue with our journey" Tripp finished.

"It doesn't matter! Give me your phone numbers, and I can keep you updated if you like?" Cristine suggested.

The teenagers had to grope into the depths of their rucksacks to find their phones; neither had used them since leaving Chicory Town.

"Right. Come on," Cristine called to the scientists, "let's check out the Lake!" turning to Rose and Tripp she said, "I'll keep you updated if we find anything! And thanks for the heads up!"

-o-

Later that night, after having spent a relaxing day in Fenugreek town, sampling all of the cafés and ice-cream parlours, Rose and Tripp set up their tents on the beach. The air was still warm despite the fact it was evening, but the sea breeze helped to keep them cool.

"I thought Cristine might have gotten back to us by now," Rose grumbled.

Tripp looked over to her, and saw that she was sat in the mouth of her tent, hugging her knees and absent-mindedly watching the sun set.

"Are you…okay now?" he asked, still looking at her, but ignoring her comment.

Rose looked over at him, and hard as it was, forced herself to keep looking him in the eye.

"Yeah…" she said slowly, and not altogether truthfully, "I'm good now."

Tripp paused, before saying quietly,

"It's okay not to be, you know."

"Not to be what?" Rose asked, confused.

"Okay," Tripp said, staring at her intently as though trying to read her. Rose felt herself shiver. She then panicked slightly, he was looking at her so knowingly…surely he couldn't have guessed what she was worried she now felt?

Tripp noticed the shock on her face. So she _didn't _realise that he knew what the problem was.

"I mean, I would have been upset too."

Rose didn't dare to reply; she wanted to be sure of the conversation topic before she risked saying a word. Tripp sighed as he realised that getting her to talk wouldn't be as easy as he'd hoped.

"It's not your fault that your dad left, Rose," he said softly.

Tripp mistook her look of surprise to mean that she couldn't believe he had guessed right, not that she had no idea where his thought process had come from.

"It must have been hard for you, seeing that photo in your aunty's house…"

Rose was truly bewildered now. She had to try extremely hard to keep her face straight. She was also immensely relieved however, that Tripp had not guessed the real reason for her surly attitude.

"Thank you," she told him in what she hoped was a small and defeated voice. Either way, she needed to stop him talking about this. It wasn't a subject she liked to discuss.

"Did you want to talk about it?" Tripp prompted.

This time Rose could not force herself to look at him.

"No I don't. But thank you. I think I'm going to get an early night."

She flashed him a quick smile, before disappearing into her tent, and zipping it up in one fluid motion.

Tripp sighed heavily to himself as he stared at her tent; he smiled bitterly as he realised that just as the tent was was hiding her, she was hiding her emotions.

_She's bloody good at it too_.

-o-

Rose sat cross-legged in her tent, her face in her hands. She knew she should be grateful that Tripp hadn't guessed the true reason for her offish attitude, but she couldn't shut out what he had just said either.

Although she hadn't taken any notice of the photograph in Joy's house, she knew exactly which one Tripp had been referring to. Her and her father, with his Growlithe.

_The Pokémon he chose over his daughter_, she thought bitterly.

She made the mistake of never having discussed this issue, one that had affected her life far more than she realised. When it became clear, all those years ago that her father was not going to return, her mother would cry freely. She encouraged Rose to do the same, wanted to share her grief with her only child. Rose however, would not let her. When her mother began to cry, she would shut herself in her bedroom, and steel herself against emotion. Because of this, she had not cried for as long as she could remember.

When Rose therefore began to feel a lump forming in her throat, and an uncomfortable pricking in the corner of her eyes, she became angry with herself.

_Don't be so stupid_, she seethed. _Don't you dare cry! There is no reason to and it's stupid! _

She realised she was breathing heavily, and closed her eyes, attempting to calm herself. It worked; when she opened her eyes once more, they were thankfully dry, the lump in her throat gone.

That night, Rose decided that something had to be done about the new feelings she harboured for her friend. She soon realised however, that unfortunately it wasn't something she could just 'switch off' as she seemed to manage to do quite easily with anger and hurt. She at least decided that he would never know. She would control herself enough to look him in the eye, to laugh with him, to touch him as she would normally. She had to do this, because otherwise she would lose control, and this was not something Rose could ever allow herself to do.

-o-

"How many are there Chelsea?" Pascalia asked, sitting back against the dank cave wall and closing her slitted eyes in fatigue. The Draco Silicis as of late had drained her energy; resulting in headaches and blackouts.

_Once I develop the strength to fight them, I'll be unstoppable_, she thought to herself, and smiled contentedly.

Chelsea glanced up to Pascalia's beautiful face and sighed inwardly. She would never be able to achieve that elegant, timeless beauty; the ivory skin and cat-shaped eyes, straight nose and full lips, thick hair that fell just below her shoulder blades, so brightly, palely shining that it made the snow outside their mountain cave look unclean.

"Well?" Pascalia snapped.

Chelsea jumped, she had forgotten to answer. She seemed to have become very jumpy as of late.

"T-there are…forty three."

"Not bad for a night's work…" Pascalia let her topaz eyes close once again.

"W-when can we leave the cave?" Chelsea asked, shivering with both cold and terror.

"As soon as Dragonair returns…is there a problem?"

"N-no, I…I just…I'm not too fond of heights."

Pascalia laughed melodically, making the hairs on the back of Chelsea's neck stand on end.

"We're only about three hundred feet high," she reminded the young girl cruelly, "you're perfectly safe in this cave. When you have to navigate your way down alone, then you'll understand _real_ fear."

-o-

"C'mon Tripp! Wake up!" Rose called the next morning, "we need to train!"

Tripp grumbled as he wiggled out of his sleeping bag and rubbed at his tired eyes. He blinked in confusion as he stepped out of his tent. The sky was pinkish-gold, and the moon was still faintly visible on the horizon. Checking his watch, Tripp growled.

"Half-past five?! Rose, are you insane?!"

"Nope," she smiled, "just don't want to fall into slovenly habits!"

Tripp opened his mouth to protest, but stopped himself upon looking into Rose's eyes. They were bright and dancing, despite the dark circles underneath them.

"Did you sleep all right?" he asked.

"Not particularly," she laughed, "but I don't want to lie in bed all morning either."

"You haven't lain in bed for _any_ of the morning," Tripp muttered to himself.

"I do have ears, you know," Rose said, "and don't worry sleeping beauty, we can have an early night if we get enough done."

With that she sauntered up the beach, her shoes swinging from her hands.

-o-

As they reached the road towards Tarragon City, Rose turned to Tripp.

"I've been thinking."

"Funny that," he grinned; he had woken up considerably after a coffee in the Pokémon Centre.

Rose raised her eyebrows dangerously.

"I apologise, do continue," he smiled angelically.

Rose worked hard to prevent her lips from twitching.

"As I was _saying_, I think that today we should concentrate on our Eevees; I want them to be nicely trained before we have to go and see Professor What's-His-Face…"

Tripp groaned as he remembered.

"Crap! I forgot about him! Are we _actually_ going to go and visit him?!"

"Don't be so stupid, we have to! He _gave_ us a Pokémon each!"

"He'd better not try and take them back," Tripp grumbled. He wouldn't admit how much he liked nuzzling Eevee's soft little body against his cheek.

"He won't," Rose consoled him soothingly. Her lips did twitch this time as she remembered hearing Tripp cooing to his Eevee in his tent a few nights past.

-o-

Four hours later, Rose was quite satisfied. Their Eevees were looking much better. Pikachu had actually flinched quite badly when Eevee Tackled him. As they sat on the roadside, and pulled provisions from their rucksacks, Rose turned to Tripp.

"What do you think's the matter with Oddish?"

Tripp frowned thoughtfully through his mouthful of peach, before swallowing.

"I'm not sure…she seems…is nervous the right word?"

"Yeah, I think you're right…but what does she have to be nervous about? The Pokémon I'm sending her out against are definitely below her level."

"Well, she lost against Chelsea's Staryu…"

"I know, but –"

"And I suppose you need to take into consideration that it was her first proper battle, not training…maybe that's why she's nervous?"

"That does make sense…" Rose said slowly, "she was fine when I was training her on the road to Rue, you know, when I caught her."

"That must be it then," Tripp said, licking the peach juice from his fingers.

"But what can I do?"

"I'm not sure, you probably have to talk to her, get Pikachu to help, they're good friends aren't they?"

"Yeah, I think I will. I won't push her now though. Shall we carry on with the Eevees?"

Tripp shook his head as he smiled at her.

"Never give up do you?"

-o-

They made their way back to the Fenugreek Pokémon Centre at one o'clock, thoroughly worn out; they had been training since six in the morning.

"I say, we shower, and then buy lunch," Tripp suggested.

Rose nodded. She had been itching for an opportunity to talk to Oddish alone.

"Did you want to shower first?"

Tripp grinned, he couldn't bear being dusty.

"Thanks Ro," he said, heading upstairs to the shower cubicles.

When he left, Rose bought one of each flavour poffin, before releasing Oddish from her Pokéball. Straight away the little weed Pokémon looked around frantically, as though determining which direction the pain was going to come from.

Rose bit her lip guiltily as she saw this. She flushed pink with embarrassment as she realised that through her recent preoccupation with her own feelings, she had abandoned her Pokémon.

"Oddish," she said gently, "why don't you try these poffins? See which flavour you like?"

Oddish was the only Pokémon Rose had not taken sufficient time to bond with, and she saw what a detrimental effect it had appeared to have had.

After nibbling each poffin, Oddish decided that she rather liked the bitter one, and began to guzzle it happily.

"So, Oddish," Rose smiled, arranging the leaves on her head, which had become rather flustered from her previous battling.

"Odd?"

"You're looking much stronger don't you think?"

Oddish looked up at Rose and her lower lip began to tremble. She shook her leafy head sadly.

"What's the matter?"

"Oddish, odd, odd!"

"You're not at all terrible at battling! What gave you that idea?"

"Dish, Oddish!"

"No…that was my fault. That Staryu was a higher level than I realised, and I shouldn't have subjected you to that in your first battle."

Oddish continued to stare at her feet.

"You're a strong Pokémon Oddish," Rose said softly, "if you weren't, I wouldn't have tried to catch you."

As Oddish took in these words, she slowly looked up to her trainer's face. Although she hadn't spent much time with Rose, she already loved her earnest brown eyes, and felt comforted as she registered her genuine smile.

"Odd," Oddish smiled.

"Don't thank me, I should thank you! Do you forgive me for making that stupid mistake by letting you battle?"

"Oddish!"

"Thank you," Rose smiled, feeling herself grow warm with love for her little Pokémon.

"Hey!" Tripp called, before sitting down, his wet hair dripping onto the table.

"Hello," Rose smiled wryly, "tell me, are you attempting to look sexy or something, by leaving your hair all wet and dripping?" she asked, her eyes innocently wide.

"I wasn't, no," Tripp replied offhandishly, "but that's obviously the first thought that sprung to your mind when you saw me," he winked at her.

Rose gaped, before clamping her mouth shut.

"Actually, Oddish and I were saying how much of a fool you look…on a daily basis," she managed to stammer, before making her way to the showers rather quickly.

Tripp noticed nothing strange in either her response or departure, but laughing, turned to Oddish.

"I don't understand her, but she does make me laugh," he said to the weed Pokémon.

"Odd! Oddish Oddish!"

"I think she's lovely too," he smiled, "but she's weird all right."

-o-

It was nearing half past two when they finally finished eating. They had had a lazy early afternoon, lounging in the Trainer's Lodge after their long morning of training.

"I think I got through to Oddish," Rose said, once the Pokémon was safely back in her Pokéball.

"That much is obvious," Tripp smiled.

"Huh? How?"

"She and I were chatting when you showered, you can tell she loves you already."

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed, from where he was perched on Rose's shoulder.

"Thank you," Rose said, beaming.

"Don't look so surprised," Tripp snorted, "You know how much all of your Pokémon love you."

"It's still nice to be reminded," she grinned, "now, I say we get moving now, and hopefully make it to Tarragon City in time for dinner?"

Tripp glanced at the map on the wall, and frowned before standing up to get a closer look.

"What is it? What's the matter?" Rose asked.

"Well…I'm not sure," Tripp said slowly.

"What do you mean?"

"Well…there doesn't appear to be a path."

"How can there _not_ be a path?"

"Well, there is, but…well, it leads to Tarragon Mountain…"

Rose's eyes widened.

"The mountain? As in…the one we could see from the road?!"

"It's not that big…for a mountain," Tripp tried to act nonchalant, but Rose could see the vein in his forehead become more pronounced.

"It's still about three hundred feet high!" she squealed, "and there'll be caves…and…and steep bits…"

"Doesn't look like we have much choice…"

"Maybe we can go around it somehow?!" Rose suggested desperately.

Tripp didn't imagine it would be possible, because any easier route would surely be marked on the map. He didn't feel that this was the right time to say so however.

"Maybe…I guess we should buy some food in case we have to stay overnight?"

Rose nodded stiffly, her lips pressed tightly together.

-o-

An hour later, and they were travelling down the road towards the mountain, which now seemed impossibly large and imposing. Their rucksacks were rather heavier than normal too; they had been given various pieces of mountain-climbing equipment by the Pokémon Centre. It didn't escape Tripp's notice that each time a new item was produced and explained, Rose turned a more alarming shade of white. They had been given a rope each, a harness and a pick for any rock face that they could not climb with their hands and feet alone.

"But of course, there are some easy routes!" the nurse had told them cheerily, "With any luck you won't need the equipment at all! You should be over in a day and a half at the most."

Rose began to sweat freely when, after an hour or so, they were approaching the foot of the mountain. Tripp grabbed her arm and pointed towards the sky.

A Dragonair was flying serenely and mysteriously through the air, its serpentine body moving as rhythmically as though it had been gliding through water. It reached the top of the mountain, and disappeared.

Rose and Tripp turned to one another, their mouths agape, their eyes wide.

**AN:**

**More chapters coming soon hopefully! I apologise for the wait on this chapter – but I bought myself a rather energetic kitten and have been rather busy with it XD anyway - I hope you enjoyed! Your reviews are appreciated as always (:**

**Love A xx**


	10. Chapter 10

"Well this isn't too bad," Rose said, somewhat relieved, "the nurse was probably right! I bet we'll be over this by evening!"

Tripp tried not to laugh as he registered how happy she now was. He knew that the beginning of mountain trails were the easiest parts.

"I hope we're over in time for dinner," she continued, "I'm gonna need more than a can of soup after climbing this!"

"I wonder if there'll be a cave we can pitch the tents in…?" Tripp wondered aloud.

"Huh?" Rose said, her head whipping in his direction, "What do you mean? Why would we need to pitch the tents?" she was now speaking rather quickly.

"Oh I don't know," Tripp said breezily, realising his error, "it could get worse I suppose."

"Well, we'll be fine," Rose snapped, "You heard what the nurse said; easy routes _do _exist, we just need to find them."

Tripp prevented himself from replying, and they continued their so far effortless journey up Tarragon Mountain.

-o-

"How about we stop for a bit?" Rose reluctantly suggested at around three o'clock. She glanced enviously at Tripp's long legs, and how he moved with apparent ease over the rocky terrain.

Tripp looked back and smiled at how pink in the face Rose had become.

"Sure," he said, and he made his way back to her.

At that moment, two Pokémon trainers rounded the corner, their eyes lighting up when they caught sight of Rose and Tripp.

"Awesome!" the blond dreadlocked boy yelled, "let's battle!"

"I'll do it," Tripp muttered to Rose, who was still feeling rather worn out.

"And I'll battle you!" said the female trainer with the red hair, pointing at Rose, who sighed.

"How about a double battle?" Tripp suggested, "Us two against you two?"

The strange trainers considered this before grinning.

"You're on!"

"Right, well I'm going to choose – Weedle!" Tripp shouted.

"Go Furret!" yelled the red haired girl.

"C'mon Pikachu!"

"I choose Slugma!"

The four Pokémon clashed ferociously as their trainers bellowed out separate orders. Finally, Slugma keeled over where it had been poisoned earlier on by Weedle's ever deadlier Poison Sting.

"Pikachu! Body Slam!"

The unfortunate Furret, too weakened from Weedle's venom, fell to the ground limply and fainted.

"We're not done yet!" the girl shouted fiercely, "Go! Swellow!"

"And I pick Heracross!"

"Pika!" Pikachu shouted excitedly, knowing that Swellow would suffer from his electric attacks.

"Weedle! Use Poison Sting!"

Swellow managed to avoid the attack, but the unfortunate Heracross remained in the firing line.

"Use Aerial Ace Swellow!"

Weedle reeled in pain from the flying type attack.

"You have to recall him Tripp!" Rose shouted desperately, not taking her eyes from Pikachu who was erratically dodging Heracross's Horn Attack.

"Come back Weedle! Go! Houndour!"

"Pikachu! Thunderbolt!"

"Flamethrower Houndour!"

The attacks hit their targets. Swellow squawked in pain, before hitting the earth with a thud. Heracross cringed from the intensity of its burn, and after a pronounced shudder, too fainted.

All four trainers were breathing heavily. The strangers gaped at Rose and Tripp.

"Awesome man!" the blond dreadlocked boy exclaimed, his eyes popping.

"You guys rock!" said the red headed girl; their accent was unfamiliar.

"Er, thanks?" Tripp laughed in embarrassment, worrying his hair with his hand.

"How did you get so strong?"

"We train," Rose said simply, smiling at the strange trainers.

"We should probably try that some time!" the girl laughed to her friend.

Waving at Rose and Tripp, they continued their way down the mountain, towards Fenugreek Town.

"Well, they were weird," Tripp said, as soon as the trainers were out of earshot.

"I thought it was quite refreshing to be honest," Rose replied, "it's not every day you win and battle without receiving a death threat of some sort!"

Tripp laughed.

"You have a point; you got any Potions? Weedle's a little tired, and I don't want to use a Super Potion on him."

Rose rummaged in her pack before producing a small purple bottle.

Tripp bent down to his little Pokémon, who was breathing heavily; he barely had the energy to hold himself up.

"Here you go, little guy," Tripp murmured, administering the Potion to Weedle.

When Tripp turned his back to put the empty bottle in his rucksack, Weedle began to glow.

"Tripp!" Rose squealed, pointing at the bug Pokémon.

Tripp started, and clapped his hands loudly at Weedle. The distraction didn't work however, and Weedle continued to glow.

"Weedle! _Weedle_! WEEDLE!"

Tripp shouted until his throat was raw, but to no avail. The evolution continued, and it appeared that Weedle could not be distracted.

When it was finally over, a Kakuna rested where the Weedle had been.

"Weedle?" Tripp asked hesitantly.

"Kakuna," his Pokémon replied.

Tripp turned to Rose, unable to comprehend what had happened.

"But – he – I – why did…huh?"

Rose laughed.

"Very eloquently put. But really – I have no idea…"

"Kakuna, Kakuna!"

"Really?" Rose asked, interested.

"So…you _did_ hear me?" Tripp asked.

"Kak! Kakuna!"

"Weird! Maybe…I suppose you were just too strong to remain a Weedle?"

"I didn't know that was possible!" Rose said, "That a Pokémon could actually become too strong to remain in a certain form! I might ring mum, I wonder if she's heard of it?"

Rose found her very much unused mobile, and dialled her mother's number for the first time since leaving home. A few seconds later, she glanced at her phone in confusion.

"What's up?"

"Dunno…it's not working."

"Probably haven't got any signal – we're pretty high up."

They glanced over the edge of the path, and looked at one another in surprise.

"I'd say we're about a third of the way up!"

"Only two hundred feet to go," Tripp said, his lips twitching.

"Shut up," Rose snapped, "Let's get going – I still want to be over before dinner."

Tripp glanced at his watch; it was already quarter to five. He smiled, but said nothing.

-o-

"Rose, this is ridiculous. I'm starving."

"We're not spending the night on a fucking mountain!" she snarled, "I know we're on track for a simple route, I just _know_ it!"

Tripp wasn't as quick tempered as Rose, but that wasn't to say that his anger was any less impressive when kindled.

"Stop! Just stop _right_ now!"

Rose turned to face him incredulously, her eyes narrowing.

"Are you _reprimanding_ me?" she challenged, fists clenched. She had no problems looking him in the eye any more.

"Yes. I am. You're being ridiculous. We're both hungry, it's fucking cold up here and I know you're tired because you're being irritable!"

"I am not –"

"Yes you _are_ Rose! And you can _listen_ to me! I let you take charge a lot of the time, but not this time. I've been climbing before, you haven't. It's getting dark, and to go much further would be suicide."

Rose's breath came in short, sharp gasps. All the time she had known Tripp, he had never lost his temper with her. She had seen him lose his temper with others, but never with her. She hated to admit it, but she was hurt.

"So," he continued, "I saw a cave back there, about two minutes down from here. We're gonna set up there right? Right?"

Rose didn't trust herself to answer. She was terrified of the mountain and hurt by his outburst. She would not let herself cry, and therefore could not risk speaking.

Tripp rolled his eyes and made his way back down the path. Rose followed in silence.

-o-

Rose was still shocked at Tripp's loss of temper, and was rather reluctant to meet his now cold blue eyes. It was therefore silently that she heated the soup, and handed Tripp his bowl without saying a word.

"Thanks," he said bluntly, before picking up his spoon.

Rose nodded in response, before sitting down to eat herself. The meal was a silent affair. It was too cold to make conversation, but neither really felt like it at that moment. Every time Tripp happened to glance at Rose's shocked face, it made him all the more angry.

_She needs to get over the fact that she isn't always right_, he seethed.

Likewise, when Rose looked at Tripp, she was chilled at his blank facial expression, and his eyes which showed no promise of reconciliation. She shuddered violently, and not from the cold alone.

-o-

Chelsea shivered with fear as she contemplated what Pascalia had asked them to do.

_It's impossible_, she thought, _we can't possibly succeed_.

"And if you don't succeed…" Pascalia need have said no more. She smiled at the looks on the faces of her recruits.

As soon as Pascalia was out of earshot, Chelsea turned to Hielo and Ledus; the green and blue haired men.

"She must be mad!" she whispered furiously, eyes wide.

The men shrugged.

"It's an order," Ledus said.

"But it's impossible! We caught forty-three Spheal and Shellder, and you caught…?"

"Thirty-nine Dewgong"

"That's…eighty-two Pokémon! The Dewgong would have been hard enough, but how can we train Spheal and Shellder to evolve _and_ have intensely powerful ice attacks?" her voice began to rise in her hysteria.

"It has to be done, it's her order," Hielo replied.

"Why does she need all these Pokémon anyway? What's she doing?" pink spots had appeared on Chelsea's cheeks, her eyes were threatening to overflow with tears.

"We don't really know…she's just paying us to do it," Ledus said, worrying his bottom lip with his teeth.

"The orders are getting stranger…but the salary higher," Hielo admitted.

Pascalia walked further into Dill Woods until she came upon her Dragonair, which was feasting on ferrets and pigeons. The sight made her weak stomach growl strangely.

"Have you rested?" she asked the Dragon in the ancient language.

Dragonair looked up, and its yellow eyes met its master's identical ones.

"Yes, thank you," it told her, specks of blood flying from its mouth. Pascalia licked the corner of her mouth where a blood speck had landed. Her stomach growled insistently.

"I have given them their orders, but I know this operation will take time."

"How long?" the Dragon asked.

"I will wait no longer than three months," Pascalia said, "the moment is near, but I must be patient. I have wanted this too long to make a blunder in my haste."

Dragonair glanced up at Dill Rook and shuddered.

"What will be your next motive, when you have succeeded here?"

Pascalia's eyes glowed, and she smiled cruelly.

"First I must gain power. Only then can I exercise my revenge."

She fell hungrily to her knees and, in a frenzy, began to tear at the bloody remains of the ferrets with her teeth.

-o-

Rose and Tripp pitched their tents near to the mouth of the cave. It was wide but not deep, and Tripp was concerned as to how well they would be protected from the bitter winds. He said nothing however, as he still felt too angry to bother making conversation.

Rose zipped up her tent and began to undress inside. It was incredibly cold, and she felt her skin tighten as her goose pimples formed. She hurriedly threw on her pyjamas and wriggled into her sleeping bag. After ten minutes, she was still shivering violently, so much so that she was beginning to feel quite ill. Her fatigue from their early morning and strenuous climbing combined with the intense cold, made her stomach churn.

_Just relax Rose, focus on your breathing._

She lay on her back and concentrated on both inhaling and exhaling evenly. She couldn't control her convulsions however, and decided to sit up. The cold air on her bare shoulders brought another wave of shivers, and she sighed from exhaustion. Heaving herself up, she scrabbled around her tent for her jumper and socks, pulling them on with numb fingers.

Marginally warmer, she settled down in her sleeping bag, and attempted to relax. She thought of Tripp's face when he shouted at her, and how he looked at her with fury and impatience. She sighed once more through her shuddering and tried to force the incident from her mind. It wasn't possible.

She had always been irritated when they argued, but now her new feelings for Tripp meant that now she only felt hurt – and anger was far easier to deal with. She didn't want to like him, but because of that fact, it only made her desire all the more fervent. She wasn't overly competitive, but if there was something she wanted, she found it incredibly hard not to do everything in her power to get it.

Freezing and miserable, she released her Pokémon from their Pokéballs. They at once sensed her upset, and snuggled in close to her; Pikachu and Eevee on her chest, Oddish to her right, Vulpix to her left and Seadra by her head. She was at once comforted, and felt her body temperature increase slightly. She didn't allow herself to think about Tripp; she would worry about him in the morning. As she felt her eyes become heavy with sleep, she became aware that her Pokémon too had begun to shiver. Sighing, she sat up and returned them to their Pokéballs. Pikachu refused to go back in; he looked up at Rose with worried eyes.

"I'm really fine," she whispered, stroking his ears, "you go back in your Pokéball, I feel much better now."

"Pikachu?" he asked her.

"I promise," she lied, returning him to his Pokéball with a flash of red light.

-o-

Tripp started suddenly when he heard the zip of his tent being tampered with. He had been lying half awake, unable to fully succumb to sleep due to his intense shivering. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, to see Rose climbing into his tent, pulling her sleeping bag along with her.

Tripp didn't say a word, but watched her.

Rose turned to him, and seeing that he was awake, gasped in fright.

"Fuck!" she spluttered, her hand over her heart, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you…"

To her immense relief, he replied normally.

"I wasn't asleep," he said, his teeth chattering, "too bloody cold."

"Me too; c-can I sleep in here?" she asked nervously, "it's freezing and…" she hesitated.

"And what?"

"I don't fancy being alone," she muttered.

"Of course you can," Tripp said, shifting to the right so there would be room for her to lie down.

Rose arranged her sleeping bag carefully, so that it wasn't touching Tripp's, before she clambered into it; she wasn't sure where they stood with one another.

Tripp, noticing this, felt guilty. Although he had been furious with her, he couldn't help but soften when he saw her in the mouth of his tent in her pyjamas, sleeping bag in tow.

"I'm sorry," he said gently.

Rose rolled over to look at him.

"No; I'm sorry. I'm horribly stubborn, and I think it's about time I realised that I'm not always right."

Tripp blinked in shock.

"I don't like fighting with you," she continued softly, "I…you're my best friend."

He noticed her frown as she said this, but couldn't understand why.

"You're my best friend too," he smiled, "and thank you for apologising; but it wasn't just you."

"Thanks" she replied, her teeth beginning to chatter once more.

"It's almost two – shall we try and get some sleep?"

Rose nodded, closing her eyes wearily.

She awoke feeling awful. She was so cold that her feet were throbbing, and she was once again shivering violently. She could see from Tripp's luminous watch hands that it was only half past three. She felt like screaming with frustration; she hated this mountain, and was going to do anything she could to get off it the following day.

"Good sleep?" Tripp asked in the darkness, causing her to jump.

"Jeez!" she gasped, "have you been awake this whole time?"

"Yeah," he sighed dejectedly, "it's too fucking cold – I don't think I _can_ sleep."

They shuffled a little closer to one another, in an attempt to generate some warmth.

"Give me your hands," Tripp said.

"Why?"

"Just do it."

He took her hands in his own, and breathed on them, trying to stimulate the blood flow by massaging them with his own numb fingers.

"Don't worry about it," she sighed, "there's no point."

Tripp unzipped his sleeping bag.

"Where're you going?"

"Nowhere," he replied, "come in here."

"What?"

"Come into my sleeping bag."

Rose was stunned for a moment.

"Really?"

"It'll probably make us warmer," Tripp said, beginning to shiver strongly from the exposal of cold air.

Rose clumsily unzipped her own sleeping bag. Whether from the cold or from nerves she didn't know, but she couldn't get her fingers to work. She climbed awkwardly in next to Tripp, and blushed in the darkness at their closeness.

Tripp's breath caught in his throat as she slid in next to him; he began to breathe raggedly, and felt as though he couldn't take enough air into his lungs.

In an attempt to calm himself, he tried to zip up the sleeping bag that now contained the two of them.

"Rose?" he whispered; she hadn't spoken since she had gotten in next to him.

"Yes?"

"You…" he swallowed, "you need to move a little closer…I-I can't zip up the sleeping bag."

She wriggled nearer to him, but couldn't keep her balance, resting on her side as she was.

Tripp closed his eyes; despite how much he was shivering, his insides felt as though they were burning.

"Put your arms around me…t-to steady yourself."

She complied, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her body close to his.

Tripp managed to close the sleeping bag, but was suddenly terrified as to what to do with his own arms.

Rose gave another pronounced shiver, and instinctively, he wrapped his arms around her waist.

They lay there in silence, somewhat stiffly, hardly daring to breathe.

Tripp realised that despite all the years he had known Rose, they had never been so physically close. They had hugged, albeit both briefly and rarely; in terms of affection, she was very distant.

Rose felt her heart beating erratically at their closeness. She was afraid to breathe properly, lest she make that contact between their chests all the more pronounced. She gave another slight shiver from the cold, and had to stifle a gasp as Tripp pulled her closer.

She couldn't remember the last time she had been physically held by someone, and she wasn't entirely sure how to react. In the small space all she could do was hug Tripp back, however, and the warmth between them intensified.

Tripp smiled into Rose's hair, above her head, where she could not see. He knew that they wouldn't work, and that she didn't want him anyway, but he was happy to be able to hold her – just this once.

-o-

The next morning, Tripp awoke alone. He heard movement outside the tent, and unzipped it.

Rose was preparing breakfast outside the cave. Hearing the zip, she turned blushing, and managed a shrill, "Morning!"

Tripp tried not to mind. She was bound to be embarrassed.

_If I act normal, she will_.

"What's for breakfast?" he asked, pulling his jeans on.

"Just bread rolls," Rose replied normally, much to Tripp's relief.

As he was eating, Rose packed away his tent; she had done hers already.

"Thank you for last night," she garbled, "I think I would have frozen to death if we hadn't -"

She blushed at this point.

"Same goes for you!" Tripp smiled, with what he hoped was nonchalance, "hopefully we'll get over this thing today though," he added, "I don't fancy another night like last night…"

Rose bit her lip to prevent herself from retorting sulkily.

_He means because it was cold, not because he didn't want to share a sleeping bag with you. Stop being silly._

"You finished?" she managed to ask, "do you want to get going?"

The mountain trail was growing increasingly more difficult. There were times when their rucksacks had to be thrown onto the next jutting ledge, because it was too difficult to climb efficiently with them banging against their backs.

After a particularly strenuous climb, the pair leant back against the rock face, panting. Rose pulled her jumper off before taking a gracious gulp of water.

"The change in weather is ridiculous," Tripp said, also removing his jumper, "how can it be so bloody hot now, and fucking _freezing_ at night?"

Rose shrugged before blushing again.

"Let's hope we don't have to resort to _that_ again," she said, her voice light.

Tripp scrutinized her before replying, "I quite enjoyed it."

"Haha, very funny," she said, her heart beating erratically nonetheless. She stood up and tied her jumper around her waist, "c'mon, let's get going."

Tripp frowned in confusion as he followed her. She hadn't looked him in the eye once.

Did she enjoy it? Or didn't she? He tugged at his hair in frustration, as he continued to follow his friend up the treacherous path.

-o-

It was approaching five o'clock when the pair came across a ledge of about twenty-five feet high – not far from the mountain top.

"We can't possibly climb that," Rose said, her voice quavering.

Tripp looked down from where they had just come.

"We're going to have to," he said. He was whiter than usual, but his mouth was set in grim determination, "it's far too dangerous to go back down again, we'll break our necks."

Rose sighed as she looked down, realising that what he said was very much the truth.

"Right. Well. I suppose we need to use the picks?"

Tripp nodded in confirmation. He noticed that her hands were shaking as she unzipped her rucksack.

"Hey," he took her by the hands and pulled her into a standing position. Rose gulped as their eyes locked.

"You'll be fine okay?" he smiled before releasing her hands. Rose couldn't help but feel disappointed despite her fear.

_You can't have him. He's your friend. It wouldn't work. Stop it Rose, just stop it!_

She smiled, composing herself, shocking Tripp as always with the apparent ease with which she appeared able to do so.

"May as well start," she said, pulling the pick from her bag and eyeing it apprehensively.

"Okay; think of the pick as a sort of like a 'super hand'," Tripp started. Rose's lips twitched.

"I mean treat it as another hand – you still need your other one, the pick's just there in case you lose your footing."

Rose nodded sternly. She wasn't going to allow the fear to set in. She would climb this rock face, and she would not crumble.

-o-

"Come on! You can do it! Move your right foot slightly to the left! There's a good foothold there!" Tripp called from the top of the rock face. It was a lot smoother than he had anticipated, but he managed to climb it first, and was directing Rose to the deepest grooves in the stone.

"You haven't got much further to go…come on Rose!"

Rose felt her foot slip and gasped. Closing her eyes, she forced her body to relax, her right hand clasped tightly around the pick, the fingers of her left hand gripping the stone with all her might. Slowly and carefully she felt along the rock face with her right foot, keeping her eyes closed until she felt the foothold that Tripp was referring to. With a supreme effort she heaved herself upwards, and her pick drove into the charcoal-grey rock once more. With one more heave she was within Tripp's reach, and he hauled her up on top of the rock face and into his arms.

"Thank fuck," he whispered over and over as he held her tightly.

"It's fine," she muttered from where her cheek was crushed against his chest, "I'm up."

"I was so bloody terrified! When your foot slipped…jeez Rose! I thought you were dead meat!"

She managed a shaky laugh.

"Well, it's fine now, I made it, let's forget about it. Please."

"It's just gone six o'clock," Tripp said, checking his watch, "d'you want dinner?"

"Yeah," Rose said, still trying to regain her breath. Adrenaline was coursing through her body, and her fingertips were numb and raw from her long climb.

"I'll do it," Tripp said, pulling on his jumper; it had begun to get cold again.

-o-

They ate their soup whilst the sun was setting, the night becoming velvety black in a surprisingly short amount of time.

"I can't believe we have to spend another night here," Rose sighed. Secretly, part of her had been hoping for this. She wondered if the same thing was going to happen as the night before. She was ashamed that she wanted it too.

"I think it's going to be colder tonight, too," Tripp remarked, starting to shiver a little.

Rose had to hide her nervous smile.

"Yeah…hopefully I'll get a little more sleep than last night."

Tripp looked over at her, his expression unreadable.

"We didn't go to sleep until at least half past three," she continued.

"We'll get an early night tonight."

Rose nodded silently. Her nerves were exhilarating her. She didn't know what was going to happen. Was he embarrassed from the night before? Did he assume they would share a sleeping bag again? She didn't see how they could possibly sleep otherwise.

Still unsure, she began to unpack her tent. Tripp watched her, but made no move to set up his own.

"Are we sleeping in yours tonight then?" he asked casually.

Rose turned her head sharply in his direction, her eyes wide.

"We don't have to!" Tripp said, backtracking in panic, "we could just wait and see if we get too cold?"

Rose didn't take her eyes from his as she answered, slowly.

"What would be the point in that? Especially if it's colder tonight. I'm sure one more night will be fine."

She turned back around in order to continue pitching her tent. Tripp didn't know how or why, but he was breathing incredibly heavily.

"D-d'you want me to do that?" he stammered.

"What? Now I've finished?" Rose laughed, "I'm going to put my pyjamas on – I'll tell you when to come in."

She disappeared inside the tent, before zipping it up. Outside, Tripp began to pace.

_What's wrong with you? Control yourself! There is no reason to feel like this! We're only sharing a sleeping bag…_

"You can come in!" he heard her call.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts and swallowing hard, he clambered inside her tent.

She was already in the sleeping bag, her long hair tumbling down her back. As Tripp began to undress, Rose forced herself to look elsewhere. He climbed in next to her, and she once again wrapped her arms around his neck so that he could zip up the sleeping bag.

The light of the day faded completely as they lay together in silence.

"So much for easy routes huh?" Tripp said. He was very aware that his arms were wrapped around her small waist and that her warm breath was tickling his neck slightly.

"Hmm," she replied, "I genuinely thought we'd get over it in an afternoon…"

Tripp smiled to himself as he realised how desperately she was trying to speak normally.

They lay together in silence for another while. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence, but both felt as though it needed breaking for an unexplainable reason.

Tripp was beginning to grow too warm. Although it was freezing outside, their combined body heat was getting to be too much.

"Let me up a second," he whispered. Rose removed her arms from around his neck and allowed him to sit up.

She was grateful for the darkness when she sensed him removing his t-shirt; her cheeks were traitorously red, and she felt slightly sick in her stomach.

"Why did you do that?" she whispered when the sleeping bag had been zipped up once again. She could feel her blood pounding in her ears.

"I was getting too hot," he murmured in her ear.

The feeling of his bare skin terrified Rose. She grew unbearably hot all over, and leant back from his chest in order to breathe.

"Are you okay?" he whispered.

"I-I'm fine. I…I just…"

She leant slightly further back so that she could look at him. She found it odd talking to Tripp without being able to see his face.

As her eyes adjusted to the gloom, she realised that Tripp's own eyes were fixed on hers. His face mirrored exactly how she herself felt. His eyes were unusually bright, and his cheeks flushed. His lips were parted slightly, and his breathing was uneven.

Rose felt another swoop in her stomach. At the same time it made her feel sick and invigorated.

Tripp closed his eyes, and she did too. His hands on her waist felt as though they were burning through her skin, which had begun to tingle strangely.

He pulled her closer so that there was no space between their bodies. Rose felt his warm breath on her cheek, and her teeth began to chatter. But this time it wasn't from the cold.

-o-

Tripp tilted his head forwards so that their foreheads were touching. He could feel her chest heaving from the ragged breaths she was taking. His hands were shaking. Her pyjama top had ridden up slightly so that an inch of her skin was on display. He could feel the smooth skin of her waist; it was burning hot, despite the fact that the ground outside was developing a layer of frost.

Whether she could ever like him or not, Tripp didn't care at that moment. She looked exactly as he felt, and she hadn't pulled away when he pulled her closer.

As his lips brushed hers, her whole body tensed, but again she did not pull away. Tripp lifted a hand from her waist and stroked her face with the back of it. Her closed eyelids fluttered, and she pressed herself closer to him.

Their lips met again, tentatively at first, and then more urgently. Desperately they clung to one another, neither really thinking through what they were doing.

Rose felt dizzy; she could feel the hot blood pumping around her body; every touch made her gasp, but she could not shift the sick feeling in her stomach. Tripp could barely breathe; his hands caressed Rose's small waist as he continued to kiss her, the heat between their bodies building.

The feel of her smooth lips moving against his exhilarated him. Just as he was wondering if he would ever be able to pull away, she did it for him.

"Wha-?"

"Shh," she whispered softly, placing a shaking finger to his lips.

Moving in closer, she rested her head upon his chest, and closed her eyes.

Tripp was stunned at what had just occurred. Holding her tightly in his arms, he attempted to steady his breathing. Her abrupt end to the kiss would have bothered him somewhat, could he not feel her own heart beating wildly against his own.

-o-

Once again, Tripp awoke alone. He blinked slowly as he registered what had taken place the night before. He could hear Rose bustling around outside the tent preparing breakfast, and suddenly became terrified.

_What the hell do I say to her?_ He thought, his heart racing. His palms became clammy, and he wiped them on his pyjama bottoms as he paced the tent.

"Tripp? You awake?"

"Y-yeah!" he managed to croak.

"Well breakfast is ready when you are!"

He swore under his breath as he realised that he had no choice but to go outside. He pulled on his t-shirt and jeans before clambering out of the tent. Their eyes locked immediately, and they both looked away from one another just as rapidly. Rose smiled inwardly as she realised that Tripp's face mirrored exactly how she felt; confused, shocked and a little scared.

"Bread rolls again I'm afraid," she said, handing him his plate.

She sat opposite him and continued to eat her breakfast. Tripp was baffled by her normal behaviour. Had she _forgotten_ what had happened? _Had_ it even happened? Tripp frowned to himself as he absentmindedly picked at his bread roll.

"You okay?"

He looked up to find her brown eyes unusually bright, despite her sombre face.

_Of course I didn't imagine it._

"Y-yeah. I'm –" his voice died in his throat and he struggled to clear it.

Rose raised her eyebrows questioningly.

"I think we should get moving," he muttered, "get over this mountain and find the next city."

Rose nodded in agreement, desperately trying to convince herself that everything was normal, lest she did or said anything she would regret.

-o-

Later on that morning, to Rose's despair, Pikachu disappeared. After nearly twenty minutes of frantically calling for the electric Pokémon, he appeared over a large boulder, speaking rapidly in his excitement.

"Pikachu! Pika pika!"

"You've found a way over?!" Tripp exclaimed joyously.

"Pika!" Pikachu replied in affirmation.

"Oh thank God!" Rose gasped, sinking weakly to her knees.

"Pika Pikachu chu chu!" Pikachu continued seriously, waving his small yellow paws.

"Well, that's no problem," Tripp said, "Geodude will easily be able to shift the few rocks in the way!"

After some hard work from Tripp and Geodude, they managed to uncover the pathway that Pikachu had found, and to their immense surprise, they managed to navigate their way down with relative ease (hindered only by the herd of wild Phanpy that appeared determined to knock them over the side of the ledge – until Rose managed to capture one of them).

They had been rather quiet with one another, neither sure what the other really thought. There was no chance of either of them having the courage to bring it up. Although Tripp was obviously aware of the situation, Rose felt as though she were trying to keep it a secret from him. She shook her head slightly.

_Ridiculous_, she thought.

As they clambered down the last few feet of the mountain, Rose's phone began to ring shrilly.

"It's Cristine!" she gasped.

"Answer it! Put her on loudspeaker!"

"Hello?"

"Hi Rose! It's Cristine!" Cristine's crackly voice reverberated around the peaceful clearing.

"Hi! How are you?"

"I'm great thanks – been trying to contact you for the last couple of days…"

"Yeah, we've been climbing Tarragon Mountain…"

"Really? Why didn't you get the train?"

Rose looked mutinous.

"The train?"

"Yeah! It runs from Fenugreek to Woodruff and then back to Tarragon!"

"Oh…well. We weren't aware of that."

Cristine laughed through the phone.

"Well next time you will be! Anyway – I was calling about the Dewgong."

Rose's mouth fell open; she had completely forgotten about the Dewgong in the lake, what with the mountain and her unexplainable feelings for Tripp…remembering their kiss she blushed deeply. It was as though she'd only just realised…

"Hello? Rose?" Cristine asked down the phone.

"Why're you blushing?" Tripp hissed.

"I…uh…yeah! Sorry…what about the Dewgong?"

"Well, I think you were right," she said grimly, "obviously it needs further investigation, but their numbers_ have_ declined, and rapidly."

"Really?" Rose asked, interested again, "So what's going to happen?"

"Well, it would be useful to use you two as witnesses, because obviously I haven't seen what you have; the main Police Station's in Tarragon City, so that's nice and handy for you…"

"Yeah of course we'll do it!"

"Thanks Rose; I really want to get to the bottom of this, and it's hard work trying to do so when the Champion has no interest…"

"We'll be glad to help!"

"Thanks so much! I've already informed the Police of the situation so you just need to go in and tell them who you're working with."

"We will, don't worry!"

"Thanks again guys, like I said, I _really_ want to get to the bottom of this."

"No problem!"

"I've got to go now, but I'll let you know if anything else comes up, yeah?"

"Yes please! Thanks Cristine! Bye!"

"Bye! And thanks again!"

"Wow," Tripp said grinning, "sounds like we're on to something…"

"Exciting that we have to go to the Police Station" said Rose, her eyes dancing.

"I'm just excited to be in a city again!" Tripp laughed, "Let's go!"

**A.N:**

**So…a rather, er – **_**eventful**_** chapter! Perhaps if my review count rises I'll let you know what happens next, if not…well; could I be so cruel? ;D**

**Love A. x**


	11. Chapter 11

Tarragon City was the largest they had been to yet, even bigger than Sage City. It was the up-and-coming city, full of suave restaurants and formal venues. Numerous parks adorned it, each boasting a marble fountain and winding paths, where benches were situated artistically amongst the fragrant flowers. The Police Station was on the street behind the Pokémon Centre, and Rose and Tripp made their way there after having had lunch and showered in the Trainer's Lodge.

"How can I help you?" Officer Jenny asked as Rose and Tripp approached the information desk.

"Er – we have some information for you I think," Tripp started.

Officer Jenny frowned.

"Information regarding what?"

"Cristine told us to come," Rose said.

"Ah, indeed. Come this way."

Officer Jenny led them to a back room where an Inspector was waiting.

"Hello," she said shaking their hands warmly, "my name is Inspector Jane; we've been waiting for you two – Rose and Tripp is it? Cristine says you may have valuable information…?"

"We think so," Tripp said, "we believe that the case of Elliot and the missing Dewgong, Spheal and Shellder are all linked."

"Cristine did tell us something of the sort, can you please elaborate?"

Rose explained the conversation they witnessed between Elliot and the men at the lake, and how she realised that all the Pokémon that went missing were either ice-type or evolved into them.

Officer Jane looked impressed.

"Your information is very interesting. We will most certainly investigate. As it was Cristine who alerted us to these incidences, we will report back to her, although I'm sure she will keep you updated."

"Thank you very much," Tripp grinned, as they shook hands with the Inspector once more, before leaving the Police Station to explore the city.

-o-

"Do we really have to visit the Professor?" Tripp groaned, staring straight in front of him.

"Of course we do, stop complaining," Rose answered. She too kept her gaze ahead. She knew if her eyes met Tripp's she would most definitely blush – and she was finding it hard enough to act normally as it was.

Likewise, Tripp was almost afraid to meet Rose's eyes. There had been no mention of the night before all day, and he couldn't help wondering what she thought of all of it.

_Considering she said she thinks of me as a brother_…

He shook his head. That thought he could definitely disregard. If she _did_ consider him a brother, she wouldn't have kissed him like that…she _couldn't_ have. He was at the same time desperate to talk about it, and desperate not to. It was therefore both a relief and a grievance that Rose had no intention of bringing it up.

Rose shivered and pulled her jacket tighter around her body. The howling winds were bitter, and Rose realised with a shudder of both excitement and terror that it was only going to get colder come nightfall.

_Of course it's nowhere near as cold as the mountain…but suppose it's too cold to sleep again…?_

She remembered with a gasp the electricity between them the night before, and how rapidly the heat had built between their bodies, her own desperation and fear to be closer to him. She gulped quietly. If she was once again placed in the same situation, she didn't think she would have the self-restraint to pull away again…

Tripp stopped walking abruptly.

"What're you -?"

"It's the Gym," he interrupted, "I know you don't want to see the Professor any more than I do…so what do you say?"

Rose unthinkingly looked up at him, and her stomach swooped once more. Tripp's blue eyes bored into hers, she could feel her blood heating her skin, could feel a faint flush creeping up her neck…

Her look terrified Tripp. He wanted nothing more than to take her face in his hands and kiss her again. But he couldn't. They weren't meant to be, and he wasn't going to hurt himself further. He looked away, breaking their eye contact as he held open the door of the Gym for her.

Rose looked down, disappointed, and began to chew her bottom lip nervously. Had he not felt what she felt?

_He couldn't have_, she thought feeling sick, _if he did he wouldn't have hesitated to kiss me, just as I wouldn't have done if he'd waited one second longer…_

Her train of thought was cut off as the Gym door closed behind them, and a voice spoke.

"Only one of you may enter at a time," said a man. He was dressed impeccably smartly, in a tail-coat with a black bow-tie, his hair slicked back with wax.

"Oh…okay," Tripp managed, staring at the butler-like figure in confusion.

"Do you want to go first?" Rose muttered, very interested in her Pokéball belt.

"Sure," he shrugged, and hitching his rucksack further up his back, he made his way through the heavy wooden door, into the Gym beyond.

As soon as the door closed, Rose sank to the ground and cradled her head in her hands, ignoring the strange looks that the butler-like man was giving her.

"Are you nervous?" he asked, after she had sighed for the fourth time.

Rose smiled humourlessly.

"No, I'm not," she hadn't given the Gym battle a thought.

"Well you have a right to be," the man said, sounding affronted, "Callisto hasn't lost a battle since she became Gym Leader."

Rose's interest was sparked against her will.

"Really? What type does she train?"

"Ghost," the butler-figure replied simply.

Rose considered this. Ghost type. No normal type moves would affect Ghost Pokémon. She frowned slightly to herself. That didn't pose too much of a problem, it must be Callisto herself, and the way she trained her Pokémon, that made her so unbeatable.

-o-

Tripp gasped as Geodude fell to the floor – he was his last hope. Callisto smiled serenely from the other end of her battle chamber, before returning Shuppet to its Pokéball.

"You battled bravely," she said, her clear voice reverberating off the stone walls, "but it was not enough. You may leave."

Tripp closed his eyes in horror and humiliation, and turned to leave the way he had come in; the sooner the better.

"No," Callisto said quietly, gesturing to a door to the left of her, "you will leave this way."

Frowning, Tripp made his way across the chamber and out into a back-street, gulping gratefully at the fresh air as it hit his face.

-o-

There was a faint click, and the butler tested the handle of the heavy wooden door.

"Callisto is ready, if you are?"

"Ready? You mean Tripp has finished? So soon? Where is he?"

"Are you ready to battle or not, young lady?"

"Yes, I am," Rose said, glaring insolently at the man, before making her way haughtily through the door.

The first thing she noticed was the smell. The room, or chamber was perhaps a better word, was stiflingly warm and reeked of sickly incense that was burning in brackets set in the stone walls. At the far end of the chamber, standing against a wall inscribed with hieroglyphics, was a young woman of about twenty-three. Her ash blond hair waved gently down her back, and her unusual, violet eyes were framed with inky, black lashes. She was clothed in dark, floating material which seemed to ripple slightly as though made of liquid.

"Hello, my name is Callisto," she smiled quietly.

"I'm Rose – where's Tripp?"

"Your friend has finished his battle, and gone."

"Did he win?"

"That is not for me to say."

Rose glowered.

"Are you ready?" Callisto asked.

Rose nodded. Her head felt heavy, the incense was making her feel drowsy. She removed her coat and jumper.

"We will each use three Pokémon – is that agreed?"

"Yes."

"Good. I'll start with Shuppet."

"Go Seadra!"

"Use Confusion, Shuppet."

Seadra reeled in pain, his eyes closing.

"Use Water Gun!"

The attack missed – Seadra's eyes were still tightly shut from pain.

"Shuppet, use Shadowball."

Rose gasped and shielded her face from the force of the attack. Inevitably, as she looked up, she saw that Seadra had fainted. After only two attacks.

It was with a shaking hand that Rose selected her second Pokéball. Pikachu's electric attacks were sure to be helpful here.

"Come on Pikachu! Use Thunderbolt!"

The attack hit, and critically, but still Shuppet returned to battle determinedly.

"Use Shadowball."

Pikachu fell to the floor, but rose again, adamant not to be beaten.

"Shockwave Pikachu!"

"Show it your Confusion, Shuppet."

Pikachu yelped in pain, barely able to stand anymore.

Rose began to sweat freely; Pikachu was her strongest Pokémon, and this Shuppet was almost playing with him. Rose had a sickening suspicion that Callisto was merely warming up.

"Nightshade, now."

With a final yelp, Pikachu fell to the floor, defeated.

Rose felt sick as she registered that she was going to lose. She only had one Pokémon left against three of Callisto's, seeing as she hadn't had a chance to train her Phanpy yet. Neither Seadra nor Pikachu had left a substantial mark on Shuppet.

"I choose Vulpix," Rose's voice was hollow, flat.

"Use Confusion."

Vulpix squealed and flinched.

"Flamethrower Vulpix!"

But Vulpix in her confusion attacked herself and, like her friends before her, fainted.

Rose returned her Pokémon to her Pokéball lifelessly, and lifted her eyes to those of Callisto.

"Don't give up. Like your friend before you, you are a strong trainer, you are merely undisciplined. You will not be able to beat me with physical strength alone, however. You must have strength of mind."

Rose nodded, unable to speak. Blood was roaring in her head. She had lost. She had failed. She realised that she was wrong in believing she wasn't competitive. It was only that she had never failed in anything that she truly cared about.

She wasn't aware that she had stepped outside until she was hit with a wave of air so cool and fresh compared to the interior of the Gym that it almost made her feel giddy.

"Rose?" Tripp asked, concern evident in his voice, "Are you all right?"

Rose's stony face cracked into a smile as she registered that Tripp's face must have mirrored hers exactly; blank and shocked.

"Well, she's a good trainer…I suppose I'll give her that."

"Did you lose too?" Tripp said, trying and failing to hide his relief.

Rose managed a strangled laugh.

"I didn't _lose_…I was annihilated."

"So was I," Tripp gushed, pleased that he could talk about it with an empathetic listener, "she literally wiped out three of my Pokémon with one of hers."

"Same, it was humiliating."

Tripp nodded in agreement.

"I suppose that was a sign that we should stop faffing and go and see the Professor…"

Tripp groaned.

"I suppose we can't put it off any longer," he grumbled, back to avoiding her eyes.

-o-

They stood outside the red-brick Laboratory, their mouths slightly agape.

"It looks like…a palace or something," Tripp whispered.

The building was impressive. Standing at five stories high, with an east and west turret and innumerable paned windows, it was easily the most imposing building in the city.

"The Professor lives _here_?" Rose asked incredulously.

The pair moved forward slightly, towards the black, wrought-iron gates. They eyed the intercom nervously.

"Shall we?" Rose asked, trying to appear nonchalant

"I suppose so," Tripp shrugged as he jabbed the button.

The intercom crackled, before a female voice asked: "Tarragon Pokémon Laboratory, please state your name and business?"

"Er, Rose and Tripp…we have a Pokémon to show the Professor?"

"One moment please."

Rose and Tripp exchanged glances.

"Are you sure he was being literal when he said to come here? It seems a bit…formal?"

"I don't know!" Rose hissed, feeling rather out of place and uncomfortable, "I'm just doing as he asked!"

They started as the intercom crackled once more.

"Rose and Tripp? Please come through."

There was a loud clunk as the gates unlocked, and Rose and Tripp made their way up the colossal driveway before arriving at the still more colossal front door.

-o-

The interior of the Laboratory, at first sight, was no different from an upper class hotel. The expansive entrance hall was covered in plush carpet, and an enormous chandelier hung from the lofty ceiling. Two curving staircases met on a landing on the first floor, their mahogany banisters gleaming. Daylight filtered in gently from ceiling length windows, glinting off the frames of the paintings that hung on the decadently papered walls.

As Rose and Tripp took in their surroundings in awe, Professor Willow appeared on the first floor landing, and made his hobbling way down one of the curving staircases.

"Aha! You have arrived! And rather sooner than I expected…you're both blooming I see!"

Rose smiled at the old man, and surprised herself in that she found his pompous manner rather amusing, when it had in fact been the thing she was dreading most about this visit.

"Hello Professor Willow, it's lovely to see you again", Rose grinned, shaking his hand warmly.

"Are you both well? You're looking rather peaky," the old man exclaimed happily.

"Lovely to see you again," Tripp said through gritted teeth. He wanted to get this over with.

"Now, we need to have a long talk, you two and I, so I presume you will accept my offer of dinner?"

"A long talk?" Tripp asked indignantly, "I thought you just wanted to see what the eggs hatched into?"

The Professor laughed heartily, the sound startling from so small a frame.

"Of course I know what the eggs hatched into! I only appeared not to so as to make it more exciting for you!"

"But Professor," Rose asked, "If you knew that the eggs were in fact Eevees, why did you give them to us? And why do you want to see us now?"

"Questions, questions! My Elliot is the same…sadly he will not put this healthy questioning to research as he should…" the old man sighed, "your questions, and more, will all be answered in due course. But we shall start this evening – if you two care to accept my dinner invitation?"

"Of course," Rose said quickly; anything to find out what the Professor was planning.

"In that case I will see to it that your rooms are prepared."

"Our rooms?" Tripp asked, glancing at Rose worriedly.

"Why of course…all will be explained in due course, as I have said."

"But Professor -"

"Calm yourself child," he chided Rose, "the proposition I will make you this evening is not compulsory, is that understood? If you do not accept it, you are free to go back to sleeping rough."

"We don't sleep –"

"Later Tripp, my dear boy, _later_. Now, off you go and explore the city, but kindly return by seven o'clock. Dinner will be served at half past."

-o-

"It's not going too badly," Hielo told Ledus as he poured over the figures, "all the Spheal and Shellder have been elevated to level twenty-five so far, which is fine as Spheal will evolve at thirty-three…"

"And Shellder?"

"That's the issue; they need a Water Stone to evolve, else they won't be ice type."

"Where the hell are we supposed to find twenty-one Water Stones?"

"I have sorted that."

Hielo and Ledus jumped as Pascalia entered the cave, closely followed by Chelsea.

"You have?"

"There is no need to sound so incredulous Ledus," Pascalia said icily.

"I-I wasn't, I –"

"Hush, and listen. In Tarragon Laboratory, they are currently conducting experiments on evolution. According to Dragonair they have a large store of Stones, water ones included. I have a blue-print of the Laboratory, it is up to you two to break in, undetected, and steal those Stones."

Chelsea gasped at the enormity of the task, but Hielo and Ledus merely nodded.

"I do not want any stupid blunders made, and for this reason I expect the stones no earlier than in one month."

After giving her order, Pascalia stalked out of the cave, once again followed by Chelsea, who had been building the little courage she possessed for this moment.

"Mistress," she asked, the name slipping off her tongue awkwardly, "I-I wish to speak with you."

Pascalia turned sharply and scrutinized Chelsea with her yellow eyes. Although now used to the colour, Chelsea could not help but be repulsed. But she forced herself to continue.

"I want to know…why…why you're doing…what you're doing?"

Pascalia snarled inwardly. She had regretted recruiting Chelsea from almost the beginning. Hielo and Ledus never questioned her, and that was how she liked it. Chelsea was, however, in too deep to be let out, and therefore the only option left was convincing her.

Letting out an audible sigh, Pascalia perched herself on a mossy boulder on the leafy ground of Dill Woods, and motioned that Chelsea should sit on the floor before her.

"I am doing…what I am doing, to fight injustice."

Chelsea blinked in surprise; she had not expected this answer.

"You, I assume, grew up in Sesame?"

Chelsea nodded in affirmation.

"I did not. I grew up in Blackthorn City in Johto, yet even I know of the case of the Garchomp."

"You mean the Garchomp Rampage?"

"Yes; although it was nearly ten years ago now, the people of Sesame still fear the rage of the Dragon type Pokémon. However, as a Dragon Tamer, I know that the Garchomp herd would not have destroyed Annatto City for no reason - as the press claimed. I am not saying that they are not dangerous creatures. They can be, that is certainly true, but I believe they were provoked."

"Why would they be provoked?"

"My theory is that the trainer who rounded them up and imprisoned them, was trying to create glory for himself, and so enraged the Garchomp secretly before trapping them before the public eye."

"But what has this to do with anything? Surely if they're trapped and everyone is safe -?"

"Is it fair that they should be trapped?"

"They're dangerous, they attack -"

"They will only attack now because they will be furious at being imprisoned in the mountain. I however plan to reason with the Garchomp…"

Chelsea gasped.

"But how ?"

"I am a Dragon Tamer. It's what I do."

"But humans can't understand Dragons like they can other Pokémon…that's why we can barely train them…"

"I can speak to them," Pascalia said softly.

Chelsea pondered this, and attempted not to look awed.

"…And you're sure they're safe?"

"Of course they are…they will be when I tame them and set them free."

"And…that's all you're doing?"

"Yes," Pascalia lied.

"But then why didn't you just tell me? Tell everyone? Why is it secret?"

"People are petrified of the Garchomp. If they knew what I was doing they would attempt to stop me."

"So the Garchomp…aren't crazed?"

"Not in that way. They will be now, confined as they are, but more than anything they are sad and hopeless."

Chelsea nodded as she looked into the sinister, yet earnest eyes of the beautiful young woman.

"I understand now," she said, "and I will do all I can to help you."

Chelsea made her way back to the cave to discuss tactics with Hielo and Ledus, determined to be an asset.

Pascalia threw back her head and laughed.

-o-

"Please, leave your rucksacks in the hall," Professor Willow's housekeeper insisted, "they will be taken to your rooms whilst you have dinner."

Tripp glared at the housekeeper, and tried to catch Rose's eye. Even in their current strange state he needed to communicate how unimpressed he was with this arrangement. As they made their way into the vast dining hall, complete with mahogany table and solid silver candelabras, he hissed, "What the hell are we doing here? If he tries to take my Eevee…and what the hell makes him think we're going to stay the night?!"

Rose shushed him as she realised that there were already people seated at the dinner table. Two teenagers in fact, who looked to be about the same age as them.

As they neared the table they realised that they had been allocated seats. Tripp was to be sat opposite Rose and beside the girl whose name setting read 'Amy'. Rose was sat next to 'Jay', who in turn was opposite Amy.

They sat awkwardly in silence for a few moments before Professor Willow came unsteadily into the room and took his place at the head of the table.

"Good evening youngsters! As you all know, I am Professor Willow, and although you do not yet know one another, you are all here at my invitation. Jay and Amy, may I introduce Rose and Tripp? Jay and Amy are twins you know," the Professor added conversationally.

Before any of the stunned teenagers could say a word, the first course was brought in.

"Our first starter is the Jerusalem Artichoke Soup," the old Professor said with relish. All four teenagers picked up their spoons tentatively and began to eat. Rose could tell that the twins too had no real idea why they were here. They meal was a rather quiet, awkward affair, the only noises being made by the Professor as he slurped, chewed and crunched his way through the Jerusalem Artichoke Soup, the Blood Orange, Radicchio and Pomegranate Salad, the Beef Wellington with Potatoes Dauphinoise, the Chicken with Grapes, Goat's Cheese and Pine Nuts, the Twice Baked Pistachio and Dark Chocolate Soufflé, and finally the Mango and Raspberry Sorbet.

Only Professor Willow managed to finish more than three courses. Much of the meal, for the teenagers, was spent sat in silence and trying not to make awkward eye contact. In a bid to avoid Tripp's eyes in particular, Rose couldn't help but notice the way that Amy, the girl he was sat next to, kept throwing him hopeful looks. Had Rose not been so preoccupied and strangely sickened by this sight, she would undoubtedly have felt the eyes of Jay - which were constantly upon her face.

When he had finally finished, Professor Willow addressed the group for the second time. Tripp turned to face the Professor and thus caught the eye of Amy who had been staring at him. She turned red and snapped her head around to face the Professor. Rose noticed that Tripp looked very much confused, but also quietly pleased at the exchange. Rose's stomach felt strangely hot and sick. She felt furious at Tripp and contemptuous of the girl, although she wasn't entirely sure why. Jay she didn't give a second glance to.

"Now, I hope you all enjoyed your dinner! I certainly did!"

The old man belched richly, his tiny frame seeming to reverberate with the sound. Tripp felt momentarily astonished that such a small man could have put away such a vast quantity of food, and with such apparent ease.

"We have much to discuss in the morning, you four and I. But for now it's off to bed with you. You will all need an early night. Breakfast will be served at eight o'clock. Now, boys, you will find your bedrooms in the West Wing, and girls, yours are in the East. Toodlepip!"

With that, he hobbled out of the vast doorway, and further into the Laboratory.

After a few moments silence, Tripp turned to face Rose.

"What on earth was that?" he asked. She felt that all too familiar jolt in her stomach as their eyes locked. Still angry with him however, she looked away and could not bring herself to reply.

"It was weird wasn't it?" Amy simpered, looking at Tripp for attention. Tripp tore his eyes away from Rose angrily. He had no idea why she was suddenly acting like a stuck-up bitch.

He looked at Amy whose grey eyes were staring into his face earnestly. She was quite pretty, he thought, but he couldn't help but be reminded of a small and very insistent dog.

"Very weird," Tripp replied, ignoring Rose, whose blood had begun to boil at Amy's forwardness.

"Y-you're Rose, right?" she heard somewhere from her right, and turning around came face to face with Jay for the first time. Like Amy he had soft grey eyes, and like Amy he was staring into her face so earnestly it seemed to border on desperation.

"Yes," she said shortly, aware that Tripp and Amy were now in conversation together.

"Oh, cool," Jay said, softly.

Rose felt guilty, and tried to engage him in conversation whilst simultaneously trying to listen to what Amy had to say to Tripp.

"So where're you two from?" she asked through gritted teeth as she heard Amy laugh shrilly at Tripp's description of how boring Chicory Town was and how his whole life he had wanted nothing more to get away from there. He was acting very differently to how she had ever seen him - almost arrogantly. She realised that she had never really seen him interact with any other girl their own age.

"Annatto City," Jay said, excited that he had finally gotten Rose to talk to him.

"What?" she snapped, turning back and glaring at him, her bright brown eyes blazing.

"You…asked where we were from?" he said apologetically.

Rose breathed deeply and tried to compose herself. She couldn't help but be irritated by the timid Jay.

"Oh right. Lovely," she said sarcastically.

Tripp recognised her tone of voice and looked across the table to see Rose with that dangerous light in her eyes, glaring at Amy's brother. He wondered what on earth Jay might have said to make her so angry.

"To bed I said!" shrieked Professor Willow, popping his head around the door in astonishment, "I meant what I said - chop chop!" he clapped. So shocked at being told what to do, the four teenagers simply rose and made their way to their bedrooms, Rose and Amy taking the left staircase, and Tripp and Jay the right.

"Well, goodnight!" Amy said breathily to Trip, after hugging her brother.

"Goodnight," Tripp said pleasantly. He noticed that Rose was staring determinedly in the other direction, "goodnight Rose," he said deliberately loudly, his eyes narrowed in both confusion and annoyance.

"Sleep tight," she snapped scathingly, before stormily making her way up the staircase.

Her attitude infuriated Tripp, who couldn't think what on earth he had done to deserve such treatment from her. He was hurt, but more so he was angry. He didn't want her to get the last word.

"Thank God it's not cold tonight," he shouted after her, "I couldn't _bear_ another night like the last."

She turned back, open mouthed, and the shock in her wide brown eyes gave him the satisfaction he had been looking for. She turned away from his own cold, blue eyes and ran up the remaining stairs, hurt and fury rolling in her stomach.

Tripp watched her go with satisfaction. He didn't really know why he said what he did, but he hoped he had hurt her more than she hurt him.

Jay and Amy stood on the landing between the two staircases, unsure what to make of the situation.

"Goodnight!" he called pleasantly to them, before making his own unhurried way to his bedroom.

"Are they brother and sister?" Jay asked, as soon as Tripp was out of sight.

"No…" Amy said frowning, "Tripp said they were just friends…" she nibbled her fingernails in thought.

"You like him, don't you?" Jay probed.

Amy turned to her brother in shock.

"Was I that obvious?" she whispered in mortification.

"No," Jay lied kindly, "I just know you well."

"You don't think he likes _her_ do you?" Amy asked, nervously.

"No…no I don't think so…" Jay frowned. He did think, however, that they had a very strange friendship, "do you think she likes him?

Amy scrutinised her brother, her grey eyes searching his identical ones.

"_You_ like herdon't you?"

He blushed deeply.

"Why Jay?" Amy asked incredulously, "She's horrible! I mean, if that's how she treats her _friend_…she's so…so rude and bitchy!"

Jay nodded slowly, he couldn't deny that.

"I – I know, but she's -" he blushed, if possible, even more deeply.

"You think she's hot, don't you?" Amy asked, horrified.

Jay nodded apologetically.

Amy wrung her hands together nervously. She was worried about Tripp liking his friend, for there was no denying she was very pretty, but she was so mean…surely he couldn't like a girl like her?

-o-

Rose lay fully dressed under the covers of her plush, four poster bed. All the muscles in her body were rigid, and she couldn't seem to make any sense of what had happened that evening. When she tried to puzzle it out, her exhausted, despairing mind simply repeated over and over, "I don't know what happened. I don't know what happened."

She felt hot all over and her mouth was dry. She wanted to talk to Tripp, and she wanted never to talk to him again. His last comment had scalded her. It made her prickle with shame and humiliation. To use it against her…he must know. Did he? Could he really know what she felt for him? She had been so careful…

Rose drew a deep shuddering breath, and attempted once again to shut down both her mind and body, to no avail.

-o-

Tripp lay fully dressed on top of his covers, his hands behind his head. He felt oddly calm and empty, and yet he knew that if he dared to think over anything too deeply, he wouldn't be able to shut his mind down.

He couldn't help but mull over the evening, however, and started again to feel the boiling annoyance that Rose had arisen in him. He hadn't done anything. What was her problem? It was her idea to come to this stupid place…

He huffed angrily. He wanted to sleep and yet couldn't. He was so physically exhausted from the last couple of nights. He felt his face burn, and his body react, as he remembered the second night on the mountain. He closed his eyes tightly. This was what he wanted to avoid – thinking. He wanted to avoid it because he knew he would not be able to make sense of anything… Rose telling him he would only ever be a brother to her, Rose kissing him desperately in the tent, pulling him closer to her. Rose looking up at him with misty eyes outside the Tarragon Gym, her lips parted as though waiting to be kissed, Rose ignoring him after dinner, snapping at him and the innocent Jay, Rose running to her room, her eyes wide with…hurt?

If his comment had hurt her…that would mean she must like him. It couldn't have been embarrassment, because neither Jay nor Amy could know what had happened between them the previous night... Not in the mood to be overly analytical, Tripp rolled over and sighed tiredly.

_It's probably just her 'time of the month'_, he thought savagely, _that's probably why she's been so crazy the last few days…explains the kissing_, he thought darkly. He was stupid to think that he would ever mean more to her than a brother, and perhaps simply someone to take her raging hormones out on. He snorted cynically to himself.

_And that Tripp, is why you decided that nothing good would come of you trying to be more than friends._

With that, he fell into a deep and largely untroubled sleep.

**AN: Oh dear. Did you think it was all going to work out once they finally got over themselves and kissed? I'm afraid not, and things are only going to become more complicated for these two in the next chapter.**

**I hope you enjoyed it (: please let me hear your thoughts on the way out! It only takes you a second compared to all the hours I spend writing (;**

**Love A xx**


	12. Chapter 12

Breakfast the following morning was a surreal affair. Amy was particularly happy despite being somewhat tired. She hadn't slept well, unable to stop thinking about Tripp's blue eyes, his dark shiny hair which fell messily into them, and his tanned, brown arms. Amy was not particularly insightful, and took the fact that neither Rose nor Tripp looked at the other to be a positive sign for her. Jay, although somewhat quieter than his sister, was more observant and could not ignore the heavy tension in the air. There was definitely more to Rose and Tripp than indifferent, cold friendship…but what that was, he had no idea.

Tripp had slept fairly well once he had actually managed to fall asleep, and his anger at Rose and her changing moods caused him to ignore her easily. Instead he spent breakfast talking to Amy; Jay he tried to talk to once or twice, but he seemed to be rather awkward about something. Amy, however, was a breath of fresh air after Rose, and not only after the previous night. Tripp couldn't help but feel liberated at the ease of their exchanges. At the moment he never knew exactly where he stood with Rose – their relationship had become very complicated over the last week, and it was refreshing to talk to and laugh with someone new.

Rose had not managed to sleep at all, and it showed. Her face was white and drawn, and her usually bright eyes were dull and rimmed with dark circles. Her hair, normally so glossy, was unkempt and slightly frizzy, and her clothes, which she had worn the previous day, were crumpled from where she had lain in them all night. She did not eat but drank cup after cup of black tea, and did not appear to notice anything that was happening at the breakfast table.

Rose's silence made Amy all the more confident. Her reddish-blond hair, although straight and rather limp, was bouncy and clean. She laughed easily and chatted easily – and that was exactly what Tripp had been craving recently. She felt good this morning. She had dressed with deliberate care, and was wearing a slightly too bright, slightly too tight-fitting purple dress. She felt very glamourous and alive compared to Rose, who, although she hated to admit it, had made her feel very self-conscious about her looks the night before.

Jay noticed that Rose seemed incredibly miserable. Although, when he thought about it, he decided that she didn't in fact look miserable, she just looked emotionless - and dog-tired too. It was a very quiet breakfast for him. He did not want to intrude upon his sister and Tripp, but neither could he bring himself to talk to Rose, who looked as though she were not quite there.

"Good morning all!" Professor Willow called, hobbling into the dining hall clutching a newspaper and a cup of tea, "I see you're all looking well rested."

Jay noticed that Rose raised her eyes for the first time that morning, to stare at the Professor incredulously.

"In precisely ten minutes, I wish you all to join me in the Grand Lecture Theatre, which you will find in the basement. Enjoy breaking your fast!" Professor Willow hobbled back the way he had come.

"Are you both finished?" Tripp asked Jay and Amy, deliberately ignoring Rose, "Shall we go then?" he asked, after they had nodded. As they left the room Jay looked back at Rose who was methodically stirring her fourth cup of black tea.

"Are you coming?" he asked shyly.

Rose cleared her throat and nodded.

"I won't be a minute," she said dismissively. Jay, to her relief, took the hint and followed his sister and Tripp downstairs.

-o-

When the room was finally empty, Rose sighed heavily and rested her weary head in her shaking hands. She was too exhausted to be angry, and too exhausted to be upset. She realised somewhere in the back of her mind that Tripp was flirting with this girl, but she couldn't bring herself to care, particularly. She rose heavily from the table and leaned momentarily against the back of her chair. This was all done without thought, and again, without thought, Rose made her solitary way downstairs towards the Grand Lecture Theatre.

Jay, Amy, and Tripp were already seated alongside one another in the front row, Amy between the two boys. Professor Willow followed Rose into the Theatre and gestured that she take the seat next to Jay. She sat down heavily and did not even look his way. Tripp scrutinised Rose as she sat down, three seats away from him, but could make out nothing from her expression. Amy worriedly noticed the way that Tripp was looking at Rose, and immediately engaged him in a whispered conversation, the content of which caused Tripp to laugh out loud.

"Settle down, you two, settle down!" Professor Willow said, taking his papers out of his briefcase and arranging the first slide on the projector. Tripp grinned guiltily at Amy, who flushed red at the attention.

"It has finally come," the little man said dramatically, "the moment you have all been waiting for, I expect."

All four teenagers were silent, all in anticipation, except for Rose who was dully wondering why she hadn't eaten a croissant when she had the chance. Her empty stomach was now rumbling painfully.

"As you all know, my name is Professor Wilfred Willow, and I am one of the world's leading experts on evolution. As you can see I am getting rather old, no matter how sprightly I may appear," he said with a wheezy chuckle.

"Due to my age, there is research that I am not personally able to carry out. My grandson Elliot, who would be very talented had he the sense to realise it, is not interested in research, and rather has become a 'Gym Leader'," Professor Willow sniffed affectedly as though his grandson had opted to become a toilet cleaner, "therefore, I have selected you four young saplings in the hope that once you have heard what I have to say, you will be willing to embark on this momentous research project with me."

He surveyed them all though his incredibly thick bifocals.

Tripp turned to Amy and Jay with raised eyebrows to signify his displeasure at the prospect of this task. Amy stifled a giggle, but Tripp noticed, as he went to recline back in his seat, that Rose was sat slightly forward, and for the first time all morning she looked as though she had come to life.

"Please, Professor," she started earnestly, "does your research have anything to do with the Pokémon Eevee? Is this why you gave us one?"

"He gave you an Eevee too?" Amy asked Tripp grabbing his arm in excitement, as though this were an exhilarating coincidence.

"Yes, yes, I gave all four of you an Eevee, in the hope that you too will find this Pokémon fascinating as I do, and that you will wish to help me in my research," Professor Willow continued, "before any of you agree to becoming my assistants, I am going to give you a lecture in basic evolutionary theory. It is only through learning this material that you will be of any use to me."

He handed all four of them a notepad and pen, before launching into his lecture. The complexity of the material meant that Tripp grew bored quickly, and he lounged casually back in his seat. Amy too sat back in a desperate attempt to look comfortable, and spent the next hour hoping that Tripp would place an arm around her shoulder. Jay, who was lost after Professor Willow's opening sentence, rested his head sleepily on the desk before him and let all the organic chemical theories and concepts of elemental forces wash over him like a befuddling lullaby.

Rose, in stark contrast to her peers, was sat bolt upright, her face cupped in one hand, and her pen in the other. Her eyes flitted between Professor Willow and the slides that he presented on the complex theories of the science of evolution. Her pen was scratching continually against the paper, all the more obvious for the fact that it was the only pen that was moving at all. Soon, Tripp became aware of her note taking, and shifted slightly so that he could see her over the top of Amy's fluffy red-yellow hair - which was annoyingly close to his face.

Rose looked nothing like she had earlier that morning. There was hard, determined concentration in her eyes, and her lips curved upward in a small smile; she was content to be learning something new. Tripp blinked, and wondered what he was doing. Here he was pretending to have no interest in the lecture so as to seem 'cool'. He flushed slightly with embarrassment that he would act in such a ridiculous manner. Shifting slightly so that he too was sat upright, he attempted to tune into the lecture. Amy noticed his change in attitude and too adopted a look of intense interest in Professor Willow. Tripp tried not to roll his eyes and picked up his pen. After only a few minutes, however, Tripp realised that he had no idea what Professor Willow was talking about. He had spent a good hour lounging in his chair before deciding to pay attention, and it was clear that he couldn't simply catch up now. He cleared his throat in annoyance as he again looked over at Rose, who not only was taking very detailed notes, but also looked incredibly interested in what the Professor had to say.

"Right," said Professor Willow, taking a large swig of water after almost an hour and a half of solid lecturing, "I hope that that wasn't too much to take in? Please take a ten minute break, after which we will return here to start part two of basic evolutionary theory."

It was strange how his pompous manner all but disappeared when he lectured, Rose thought as she labelled her four pages of hastily written notes. She had great respect for the Professor after hearing about his work and realising the extent of knowledge that he possessed. She finally felt awake despite her sleepless night. Rather than taking a break with the other three, she approached the Professor and began to question him earnestly, much to his delight.

Amy noticed Tripp watching Rose with a strange expression on his face and panicked – she had to take a risk.

"What a _nerd_," she whispered maliciously, as they left the Grand Lecture Theatre. Jay looked at his sister and shook his head hurriedly in warning.

"What?" Tripp said, wrenching his eyes from Rose, who was gesturing enthusiastically to the Professor.

"I said…I said -" Amy turned white, desperate to cover her tracks before Tripp realised what she _had_ said.

"That lecture – was, um, absurd!" Jay inserted tactfully, "I didn't understand a word of it, did you?"

"I don't see how anyone could have!" Amy laughed in relief. She shot her brother a thankful look.

"Yeah…" Tripp tried to smile but couldn't for some reason. He ran his hand through his hair in confusion.

"Shall we get coffee?" Jay suggested.

Tripp nodded and the three of them returned to the dining hall. Amy desperately tried to engage Tripp in conversation, but he sat in silence holding his coffee cup, seemingly unable to hear her. Through the open door, he saw Rose sprint up the stairs to her bedroom, ignoring all three sat at the table. A minute later she ran past them back towards the Lecture Theatre, clutching something in her hand, her eyes shining with excitement. Amy noticed with anguish that Tripp's eyes followed her the whole time she was visible.

"Are you two good friends?" she asked, trying desperately to hide her painful curiosity.

"Best friends," Tripp answered automatically, not looking up from his coffee cup.

"Oh, well. You don't talk much for best friends!" she attempted a giggle, "You talk to me much more," she said daringly, ignoring Jay who was begging her with his eyes to stop talking.

"Yeah…" Tripp managed to laugh, "yeah…you're much less…less complex than Rose is…so it's easier I guess?"

Amy looked as though she was sucking on a lemon. She opened her mouth to retort, but Jay put a restraining hand on her arm.

-o-

When they filed back into the Lecture Theatre, Tripp manoeuvred it so that he was sat by Rose. This did not go unnoticed by either Jay or Amy. Rose however, was reading over her notes; a slight frown was upon her forehead as she tried to make sense of the more complicated concepts before lecture two began.

Tripp noticed with surprise that on the desk next to her was the Thunder Stone that Vulpix had dug up. He wanted to know why she had it, but couldn't bring himself to talk to her for some reason. She seemed different; she was very much alive, buzzing even, but he felt completely shut out from her. She still looked exhausted, but her eyes were bright and her full lips moved soundlessly as she read her notes back to herself.

As Professor Willow began the second half of the lecture, Tripp attempted to take notes. Try as he might, however, it made no sense to him and he sat back in his chair angrily, and watched Rose write page after page in her small, neat handwriting.

When the Professor began to talk of Eevee and its numerous evolutions, Tripp began to pay attention once more. There were some parts he didn't understand, such as the chemical makeup of the evolution stones and what it meant to Eevee and why, but other parts he found very interesting. Professor Willow spoke of the sun and moon, and outlined his theory that they contained much of the same elemental makeup as the evolutionary stones. He went onto to talk about evolutionary forces and the chemicals released during evolution, again none of which Tripp could understand, but what he did glean from the lecture was that Eevee could perhaps evolve into more than three types, and this could somehow happen through exploiting the energy of the moon and sun.

The lecture concluded at twelve, and Professor Willow dismissed them until dinner. Rose gathered her notes quickly and raced out of the Lecture Hall before Tripp could say so much as one word to her. He swore angrily under his breath.

Back in her bedroom, Rose lay back on her bed, feeling much better than she had in the last twelve hours. She read her notes back to herself once more. She had great respect for Professor Willow after hearing him lecture, and couldn't wait to start research with him. Tripp – to hell with Tripp, she thought. She didn't have the time or energy to think about him and why he had changed completely in such a short amount of time. Her mind was buzzing with new theories and concepts, and she could almost laugh that she had spent the last week so caught up about some _boy_. His being a bastard had really thrown things into perspective, and Rose couldn't be bothered to deal with either him, or that desperate Amy, at this moment in time.

She kicked off her shoes and closed her eyes wearily, pleased that she had some hours to herself. Despite the fact that her mind was swarming with information it took a surprisingly short amount of time for her to fall into a deep and dreamless sleep.

-o-

Jay and Amy were talking in Amy's bedroom.

"You just need to back off a bit Ames," Jay said knowingly, "I don't know if he likes her or not, but if he does, the worst thing you can do is slag her off."

"But -"

"Just listen," Jay continued, "they've obviously fallen out about something, but if you rub her good points in his face rather than her bad points, he's more likely to get annoyed at her."

"But why?" Amy asked in exasperation.

"Because if you're trying to be annoyed at someone, and somebody else does nothing but sing their praises, it just makes you resent them even more."

"Oh," Amy breathed, her mouth hanging open, "so I need to…?"

"Befriend her," Jay said in amusement.

Amy looked at her brother in surprise.

"You really think so?"

Jay nodded.

"Yeah I do."

"But…you still like her, right?"

"Yeah I do," he repeated as he blushed. At Amy's unimpressed glare he attempted to explain himself, "She's so…so clever and pretty…even though she's pretty aloof…and rude," he added.

"So that's why like her? Because she's _pretty_?"

"I don't know!" Jay said, "I just find her attractive, I feel like there's more to her – she's sort of different, like, like she doesn't give a damn…mind you, I bet Tripp finds that attractive, else he wouldn't be friends with her."

Amy snorted.

"So to get Tripp to notice me, I need to be 'different', say good things about his friend, and try and befriend her?!" Jay nodded slowly, and Amy continued, somewhat sulkily: "I don't see how he'd notice me next to_ her_ anyway, when she's in the room she's all he looks at."

"Well," Jay smirked, "she wasn't looking too fresh today, I say you start this all at dinner, get a good impression in before they start talking again."

Amy smiled to herself and looked in the mirror happily. It was true, she did look _much _prettier than that Rose today.

-o-

Alone in his room, Tripp had begun to feel a little remorse towards his best friend, despite the fact that he kept trying to argue with himself that he was in fact justified in his actions.

"Yeah, okay, she was rude to me at dinner…but we had had a weird day prior to that, what with the night before…" he felt himself growing hot with both anger and desire, "she was so _rude _though, she deserved it…well, maybe not something quite as harsh as _that_…" he remembered her brown eyes, wide with hurt after he had flung the cold and crude comment at her in front of strangers.

He growled angrily and tugged at his hair as he fell back on his bed.

"I don't understand," he groaned to himself, "what's gone wrong?"

They'd argued before, but never like this. They may have sulked, but they'd never deliberately hurt the other.

"I hurt her…she didn't do anything that we haven't done before…and we've both had our fair share of sulking and snapping in the last week…"

Tripp grew hot with shame when he realised he was very much in the wrong. He had been flirting with Amy – he only did it because it made him feel good, but he hadn't thought about how it would have made Rose feel.

"But…if she doesn't like me like that, why would it upset her if I flirt with someone else? ...she probably feels cheap…yeah. Probably thinks I jump from one girl to another…"

He groaned again as he realised that he had to apologise. He remembered how dishevelled she had looked this morning, how lifeless. His guilt intensified and he decided that after he had showered, he would seek her out.

Twenty minutes later he knocked on her bedroom door, but there was no answer. He knocked again, louder, but still there was nothing. He tentatively opened the door, bracing himself for crying, perhaps shouting and tears – but her room was empty. Tripp closed her door in confusion and made his way back down the East staircase. He frowned to himself as he thought…had he ever even seen Rose cry? At that moment he looked up, startled, as he heard her. She was laughing merrily, somewhere below him.

He raced down the stairs and was about to head into the dining hall when he bumped into Amy, who had an incredibly sour look on her face.

"Where's Rose?" he asked, looking over her head. Her sour look intensified.

"She's talking to my brother," Amy sniffed, before attempting to storm off impressively. When she looked back, Tripp not only wasn't looking at her, he had disappeared. Amy's lower lip trembled and she genuinely stormed off to her bedroom in floods of tears.

Tripp swung the door of the dining hall open to find Jay and Rose sat sharing a bowl of cherries as Rose tried to explain her notes of the morning to him. Before now, Tripp had been all but blind to Jay, but as he registered how he was staring at Rose, his blood began to boil. He made to storm into the room but stopped himself on two accounts. The first was that he had no right to start an argument with Jay because he was 'looking' at Rose. The second reason was Rose herself. She had completely transformed herself from the morning. She was freshly showered and her hair hung heavily to her waist in dark glossy curls. She looked far better for having had something to eat, and she was wearing a knee-length, floaty white dress that contrasted radiantly with her golden skin.

"Can we help you?" she asked indifferently, pulling the stalk off a cherry.

Trip blinked to clear his mind and grunted, "I need to talk to you."

"Well that's a shame," she said looking at him levelly and popping the fruit into her mouth. After she swallowed she said, "I don't particularly want to talk to you right now – Jay and I are studying."

She turned away from Tripp and back to Jay, who was looking at her in awe. Tripp left the room and angrily slammed the door behind him. _Stupid bitch_, he thought to himself, _making you look like an idiot…why did I ever think -? As if I need to apologise…don't need people like her in my life…_

Without realising where his feet were taking him, he found himself knocking on Amy's bedroom door.

-o-

Amy wiped her eyes hurriedly and smoothed down her garish dress. She opened the door and gasped as she saw Tripp. He looked furious, but this look turned to confusion when he saw her watery eyes.

"Oh…sorry if I was mean," he said absently, his mind only on how much he hated Rose.

"That's fine, that's fine!" she exclaimed, ecstatic that he apologised to her, "What was the matter?"

Tripp looked over at Amy and realised that he just wanted to talk to someone.

"It's not much," he said huffily, "I've argued with Rose is all, and I don't know why I'm so angry about it," he frowned to himself.

"Oh, well," Amy said with much effort, remembering what Jay had said earlier, "I'm not surprised you're angry, you two must be really close?"

Tripp thought about Rose's lack of outward affection, how she always closed off her emotions from him, and how he'd never even seen her cry once in all the years he'd known her.

"Um…no, not that close," he heard himself saying.

Amy's heart started to beat faster.

"Really?" she said, trying to sound calm, "you seem like you're really close…I thought you were 'together'…her being so pretty and everything…" she trailed off deliberately.

Tripp turned to Amy in shock. He was under the impression she didn't like Rose, but here she was, complimenting a girl who had only ever given her the cold shoulder. A sense of ease and relaxation stole over Tripp as he looked into Amy's wet, grey eyes.

"You're such a nice person," he said, frowning again as though something wasn't quite making sense to him. "You're pretty too…"

Amy gasped, she couldn't believe how right Jay had been, and how quickly it was all happening.

Tripp went on, still frowning, "I don't understand why I don't -" Amy leant over the bed and kissed him on the mouth. She didn't know where she found the guts to do it, but to her shock and relief he kissed her back.

At that moment her bedroom door was kicked open by Jay.

"Hey Amy! Rose and I were wondering if you wanted to –"

Amy and Tripp sprang apart as the door opened, and looked guiltily at Jay and Rose who were gaping at them. Rose snapped her mouth shut and made for her room. They heard the door slam angrily from across the landing.

Tripp could only blink, astounded that so much had happened in less than thirty seconds. He looked at Amy's smudged mascara and lurid dress and felt only a little pity. She was a nice girl. He bit his lip, unsure exactly what he should be doing, and whether or not he was in the wrong.

"I think she might like you," Amy whispered sullenly.

"No…no she doesn't," Tripp said, dazed. Amy and Jay looked at one another, more confused than ever at Tripp and Rose's relationship.

-o-

Back in her bedroom, Rose smiled serenely at herself in the mirror and took long, calming breaths.

"That's it," she whispered to herself, "he's not what you thought. There's no point in pining over something that never existed."

She felt strangely at ease as she considered the events of the last few days. Yes she had liked him, very much so. But the Tripp she liked wouldn't insult her, nor would he flirt so openly and arrogantly and kiss whichever girl wandered across his path. He couldn't actually like Amy, she thought, she was so…_obvious_.

Rose smiled at herself again in the mirror as she realised that she clearly did not know Tripp and therefore, for all she knew, Amy might be exactly his type.

She sat cross-legged on her bedroom floor and released all six of her Pokémon from their Pokéballs. She hadn't spent enough time with them recently, and she knew she would feel better once she had. They all sat on the carpet and Rose opened a box of Poffins. She spent a pleasant afternoon with her Pokémon, not thinking about Tripp, or Amy, or Jay, or evolutionary theories. She lay back on the carpet and laughed as Phanpy's long nose tickled her ear.

"As long as I have you guys, I think I'll be all right," she whispered and closed her eyes in considerable contentment.

-o-

Jack came bursting into the cabin, fear and anger evident on his young face.

_I must not cry,_ he told himself, _fifteen year olds don't cry._

Sam stood up from the kitchen table where he was shelling peas.

"What's happened?" he asked, his eyes creased with worry. They deepened with anger, however, upon noticing something.

"Where's Farfetch'd?" he asked his youngest brother sharply.

Will looked up warily from the potatoes he was peeling.

"Jack…"

"It wasn't my fault!" the youngest brother cried, "it was all going fine, we had loads and loads of apricorns, and then _she_ came with her Dragonite and – "

"Who?" Sam stormed furiously. He couldn't believe this had happened. After months and months of pestering he had finally conceded to let Jack gather the apricorns with their beloved grandfather's old Farfetch'd. If he had lost him…the last thing his grandfather had ever given him…

Damien surveyed his three brothers from where he sat plucking a chicken. He wiped his hands on a tea towel and cleared his throat. Standing up, he walked over to his youngest brother. He sat him down and put reassuring hands on the boy's shoulders.

"Just start from the beginning Jack, easy does it."

Will smiled at his older brother's tact. Sam was always likely to lose his temper in such situations, but Damien always managed to get the situation in hand.

"Farfetch'd and I were just gathering apricorns, like you told us to," his eyes flitted over to Sam nervously, "and it was all going fine, we had tonnes! And then…then there was this really strong wind, out of nowhere…we were in the clearing, by the huge oak tree, you know? And this…woman, with a really long black cape came down riding a _Dragonite_."

He paused to gauge the reaction to his words – he was not disappointed. His three older brothers all looked at one another with wide eyes. Nobody had really bothered to visit Ilex Forest for a good few years. Not, In fact, since their grandfather, Kurt, had died.

"But why?" asked Sam frowning, "Did she try and hurt you or Farfetche'd? Was she poaching?" he asked, his grey-green eyes narrowing to slits.

"Go on Jack," Damien said calmly.

"No, nothing like that," Jack said, his voice wavering. "she – she seemed really sorry that Farfetch'd got scared and ran away. She offered to help but, well…"

"What?" Will asked, curiously.

"She seemed in a bit of a hurry. She's travelling around Johto see, she's lost her little sister." He held out his hand and they all looked curiously at the roll of paper he was holding. Jack unrolled the paper to reveal a poster with a picture of a young woman on it. The three older boys all gasped.

"Wow," Sam said, his eyes rather wide all of a sudden.

"She's one hell of a looker," Damien said, gazing at the girl's dark green, cat-shaped eyes and shimmering lilac hair.

Sam nodded in agreement.

Jack looked at the poster of her, 'Pascalia', and just thought that she looked a little bit mean.

"Well, she's been missing for over three months now," he told his brothers, "and Clair, I think she said her name was, is travelling around on her Dragonite posting these everywhere."

"_Clair_?" said Will in awe, "as in Clair the Dragon Tamer from Blackthorn? Lance's cousin?"

"And fiancée," said Sam with a wry smile.

"They're engaged?" asked Damien in horror, "but they're…they're -" he seemed too repulsed for words.

"Dragon Tamers have always been a bit weird though, haven't they?" Will asked his two older brothers conversationally.

"Putting this aside," said Sam loudly, his brothers falling silent at his tone, "how are we going to find Farfetch'd?"

Jack looked guiltily into his lap.

"Seriously little bro," said Damien clapping him on the back, "that wasn't your fault – none of us could have prevented that from happening"

Sam grunted.

"Well could you?" Damien asked, his eyebrows raised high.

Sam sighed.

"I'm not saying that I could have, but these sorts of things _always_ seem to happen to Jack…"

"Tell me about it" the youngest boy muttered quietly. Even Sam laughed.

-o-

The four were not so inclined to laugh later that evening, however. After searching the forest for hours they had only managed to catch a glimpse of the Pokémon which was still too frightened to come anywhere near them.

Sam sat down with a groan.

"We'll never catch him," Will mumbled.

"We'll just have to try again tomorrow," Damien said optimistically, "let's eat though, I'm starved!"

**AN: A lot of angst in this chapter. As you can see, things are only getting more complicated for Rose and Tripp, neither being entirely sure how they feel about the other. I'd also love to hear your thoughts on Amy and Jay :D We've seen quite a few new characters in this chapter, all of which will be playing bigger parts as the story goes on.**

**Any reviews are much appreciated as always (: lots of love A xx **


	13. Chapter 13

"Does that all make sense now?" she asked the three sat before her.

"Makes much more sense now," Jay smiled, "thanks Rose."

Amy smiled tightly and quickly before looking back down at Rose's photocopied lecture notes.

"Tripp? Do you understand it all?" Rose asked him nonchalantly, looking him directly in the eye as she began to plait her long hair.

He nodded curtly. He was torn between really wanting to talk to her, and being absolutely humiliated that Professor Willow had asked her to teach them all the basics again, so miserably had they failed the quiz he had set them.

"Good, I'm glad," Rose said, gathering her notes, "the lecture tomorrow is going to go a lot deeper into the science of evolution, the Professor said, so if you're still not one hundred percent, I'd read over the notes again before you go to bed."

She smiled levelly at the three before making her way out of the small lecture theatre that the Professor had suggested they use for catch-up sessions.

"Where are you going now?" Jay asked boldly, before blushing at his own forwardness. Tripp looked over at him with raised eyebrows.

Rose blinked once in surprise, but then smiled at him.

"I'm going to train my Pokémon at the base of the mountain…would you like to come?"

Tripp's mouth fell open. He knew Rose – she liked to work alone…or with him. That's how it had always been. Why on earth did she want to train with Jay?

"S-sure!" Jay stammered, unable to believe her response.

"I'm just going to the kitchens to ask them to pack me a lunch, you go and get your things and I'll ask them to make you one too. I'll see you at the front gate in ten minutes."

-o-

"Let's go," Tripp said to Amy as soon as Jay had left the room.

"Where're we going?" Amy asked excitedly. Rose and Jay had gone off together, and now Tripp was inviting her somewhere…alone.

"To train too," Tripp said, making his way through the expansive building that was the Laboratory.

"T-to train?"

"Pokémon train," Tripp said without looking back or even noticing the reluctance and disappointment in her voice. He began to make his way up to his bedroom to retrieve his Pokéball belt and rucksack. Amy chewed her lip nervously as she waited at the bottom of the stairs for him.

-o-

After a very short amount of time Tripp realised that Amy was not a battler. She had no passion for it and neither her Eevee nor her Wooper looked as though they had ever been trained before. Therefore, half an hour later, Tripp found himself sat in a café with a somewhat happier Amy, who was chatting non-stop. He didn't know how much time had passed; he sat with his head resting on one hand, a glazed look in his eyes as he stirred his now cold cappuccino with the other.

He sat up with a start when he heard the bell on the door of the café tinkle, and two flushed teenagers strolled in, happily chatting.

"I don't believe you when you say you've never trained before," Rose said, mockingly stern.

Jay smiled happily, forever a shade of pink when in her presence.

"I swear I haven't, I didn't really know _how_ before today…"

Rose shook her head at him.

"Well, we're going to have to train you up – I need a training partner and I'm afraid you're not quite up to it yet," she winked at him to soften the blow, and Jay smiled happily at her.

"Two teas please," Rose asked the girl behind the counter. She turned around to find a table and saw Tripp and Amy staring at her.

"Hello," she said pleasantly, walking over to them, "what have you been doing this morning?" she took a seat at their table, much to their surprise.

Jay collected the tea from the girl and scanned the café looking for Rose. His eyes widened considerably when he saw where she was.

Amy, intent on fulfilling Jay's plan, decided to break the ice.

"We tried to train for a bit, but it's not really my thing," she whispered to Rose companionably, "I prefer not to get my hands dirty, y'know?"

Rose blinked coolly, and smiled.

"I actually really enjoy it."

"You do?"

"Yeah, Tripp and I used to train together a lot," she smiled as she saw Tripp snap his head in her direction, "didn't we?" she asked him, stirring her tea casually.

"You're not interested in training…you said -" Amy started.

"Tripp? Not interested in training?" Rose asked, her brown eyes dancing, "so you _don't_ want to challenge the League? Become the Champion?" she enquired casually, "You really have changed," she took a sip of her tea and surveyed him over the rim of her cup.

Tripp stared into her mirthful eyes, thoroughly confused and completely furious with her. Why exactly, he wasn't sure, but he hated her at that moment. He shouldered his rucksack and stood up so abruptly that all of their drinks crashed to the floor. He stormed out of the café without another word.

Amy shrieked and Jay jumped back in alarm. Only Rose remained unmoved, but for her lips which were twitching with repressed laughter.

"Don't mind him, he's always had a terrible temper. Good at hiding it though, isn't he?" she asked mildly.

Amy and Jay turned to look at her, speechless from the whole spectacle. She continued to smile at them, before going over to the counter to order three more drinks from the gobsmacked barista.

-o-

Tripp grimly wiped the sweat from his forehead. He smiled to himself as he reflected on his afternoon and evening's training. He had slacked the last week, what with the mountain, the research and everything inbetween, but now he felt that he was back on form. He returned his Pokémon to their Pokéballs and made his way back to the Laboratory.

"Tripp!" Amy called out as he wandered into the dining hall for dinner. His face had caught the sun from his afternoon of training and his dark hair was falling messily into his eyes. He smiled tightly at Amy, sat down, and started helping himself to rice. The dinners were rather less formal now than the first one had been; the Professor hadn't joined them since the first evening.

"Don't mind him, he's always grumpy before he eats," Rose laughed, smiling over at him. Tripp glared at her coldly before continuing to pile food on his plate. Rose was unabashed, however.

"How was training?" she asked, spooning more vegetables onto her and Amy's plates.

"How did you -?"

"I was quite impressed I must say. You're still making use of rotation training I see," she nodded knowingly before taking a sip of water, "it's obviously working if Houndour's evolved into Houndoom already."

"Were you watching me?!" he asked, disgusted.

"I was simply training nearby, you were too preoccupied to notice. Hey, can I swap you your Fire Stone for something? You know, the one you won in Lovage Town at the fair?"

Tripp gaped at her. He knew she was an expert when it came to hiding her emotions but this…Normally he was aware when she was hiding them, even though she appeared calm. Here however, she just appeared…_normal_, as though the past week hadn't happened at all. No concealed emotion was clouding her bright brown eyes, and she hadn't stopped looking radiant since the day of their first lecture. She looked happy, he realised. It had been quite a while since she had been carefree and happy.

"Why do you want it?" he managed to croak.

"Well, the Professor told me that Vulpix can only evolve with a Stone. He measured her somatotropin levels…that's the growth hormone, (she informed their blank faces) and Vulpix's has practically stopped," she gabbled.

"What does that…mean?" Jay asked, open mouthed.

"Oh," Rose laughed airily, "it was in the basics, remember? A Pokémon that can only evolve with a stone will progress better if they're exposed to the stone once their somatotropin levels have fully dropped."

"Right…?" said Amy.

"So, Vulpix is technically not able to grow anymore as a Vulpix, and therefore exposing her to an Evolution Stone won't affect her growth detrimentally. Just like with your Weedle, Tripp."

"Wow," Jay gasped, "You really know your stuff."

Rose smiled at him, and Jay inevitably blushed.

Tripp slammed his cutlery down and, similarly to earlier, stormed out of the room once again. Rose raised an eyebrow.

"What's wrong with him today?"

"No idea" Jay replied.

"I think I'm going to go and talk to him," Amy said nervously, biting her lip. Rose repressed the urge to roll her eyes.

"I really wouldn't bother, he's best left alone when in that mood."

The three teenagers stayed and finished their dinner, Jay and Amy rather quiet from the events of the day.

-o-

Tripp was pacing his room furiously. Part of his fury was down to the fact that he couldn't exactly figure out what was making him so angry.

"I don't even _like_ her like that…" he muttered to himself as he ran his hands frustratedly through his hair, "why is she getting on my nerves _so much_?"

It was true. He hated everything about her at that moment. Her brilliance in lectures, her having to teach him and the others, her one to one conversations with the Professor about evolution, her general skill in battling, the bond she had with her Pokémon, the way she was ignoring everything that had happened, the way she smiled at him, the way she smiled at Jay, her smile itself, her laugh, her face, her eyes, her lips…

Tripp jerked himself out of his reverie and shook his head vigorously. He hated everything about her. But why? He realised that he had actually liked her more when she was being rude to him, or sulking, or even shouting. But this niceness, it was almost…indifference.

It hit Tripp like a blow in the stomach. Of course they had argued throughout their lives, growing up together as they had. But this niceness, this indifference, only served to prove to Tripp that she no longer cared. How could she?

He had cracked it; she didn't even care enough about their friendship anymore to even muster the energy to dislike him. The blow that he felt made him realise that he had been lying to himself. Yes, he hated her, but he liked her more than ever.

-o-

He was right about Rose, to an extent. Since her father had left home, she had formed a hard, iron core around her emotions. She didn't like dealing with emotion, and was very good at shutting it off. Since starting her journey with Tripp, however, her emotions had been tested beyond their usual limits and she was tired. It was difficult to hide all the time, to pretend, and so she did the only thing that she could in order to function. She stopped caring. If she didn't think about Tripp, what had happened and what might have been, she didn't feel anything. Anytime unwanted memories stole into her mind, such as that unmentionable night on the mountain, she would simply repeat her new mantra to herself.

_It's in the past, it doesn't matter now._

Fortunately for her, this applied to many current events in her life. She didn't care that Amy blatantly liked Tripp, nor did she care that he might return those feelings. She didn't care, in fact hardly noticed, that Jay liked her, and she also couldn't bring herself to be interested in why Tripp had been so angry these past few days.

Rose had converted back to a younger version of herself, one who buried herself in activities and work all day long, so that she did not have to dwell on her emotional issues. Rose's typical day in Tarragon City began with a very early shower and a beauty routine that she wouldn't normally bother with when camping. She hated to admit it to herself, but she enjoyed making herself look good. She hadn't realised quite how long her hair had grown since they had left Chicory Town. It hung in heavy curls to her waist and she enjoyed making it shine. She had just realised how much she could emphasise her dark eyes by lightly lining them with kohl. She opted for dresses more often now that she wasn't always on the move, and she noticed that she was attracting stares when she wandered around the city. Breakfast was always at eight o'clock, and after that came the first three hours of lectures, which she threw herself into whole heartedly. Lunch she would normally spend alone, or with Jay if he needed concepts explained to him. After lunch were two more hours of lectures, followed by Rose's personal hour of revision. From three o'clock until dinner at seven Rose would train her Pokémon hard. Sometimes Jay would join her. After dinner, in which she would delight in Tripp's anger (although she couldn't really care less about the cause of it) she would feel quite lonely. She would be too physically exhausted to spend time with the other three, and so would usually be in bed by eight or nine o'clock. On those nights when she was less tired she would read over her notes to best prepare her for the morning.

This somewhat lonely existence continued for the first week that was spent at the Evolution Laboratory. Just as Rose was settling into this routine, for routine always made her calm, the Professor shattered it. He had arranged another meeting for the teenagers at ten o'clock on Saturday morning.

"The first week is over," Professor Willow began, "and I'm pleased to inform you all that you have (near enough) mastered the basics and are now (almost) fully prepared to assist me in this research project. Today will have to be the day in which you decide whether or not you wish to accept my offer."

All three teenagers waited expectantly in silence.

"The work I am proposing to you will not be easy, nor will this be a quick project. This is why I ask you all to think very carefully before accepting. I wish to invest a lot of money into this research, and I would hate to lose it because you decide that the hours are too long or the work too hard."

"How long do you think it'll take, Professor?" Tripp asked, frowning.

"I should say around a month," Professor Willow replied, "the thing with research is that upon discovering one thing, other things are bound to be uncovered. I will therefore say that I believe it will take approximately three weeks to carry out (and hopefully reap the rewards) of my theory regarding Eevee and the power of the moon and the sun; I cannot, however, guarantee that there will not be another tangent that I will wish to pursue. Whether or not you join me for that…well, that too would be your decision."

The teenagers remained silent. Rose had made her decision since the day of their first lecture, however she was curious as to what the others would decide and did not want her decision to affect theirs – particularly Tripp's.

"I will, of course, make it worth your while," Professor Willow continued, "I realise that this would be eating into your training time, especially with the Pokémon League opening in March. For this reason I am willing to pay you to assist me."

-o-

The old man paced continually, forgetting for the first time in many years the agonising pain of his joints. He started as he heard a rap at the door.

"Enter," he said, hope rising in his once strong chest.

Clair and Lance entered, looking windswept from their journey, their hair untidy and their capes twisted around their necks.

"Well?" the old man asked, moving breathlessly towards the Dragon Tamers.

"Nothing Grandfather," Clair muttered apologetically.

The Elder of Blackthorn City fell heavily into his armchair and stared lifelessly into the fireplace, in which the blue flame of Dragon Fire was crackling eerily.

"We'll find her Grandfather," Lance said grimly, pushing his dark red hair out of his cat-shaped eyes with his gloved hand.

"She has been missing for nearly three months now," the old man croaked.

"But she had packed, she clearly _planned_ to go away," Clair said, disgusted that her little sister would do this to her grandfather, who loved her so much.

"But why didn't she tell me?" the Elder whispered.

Clair looked at her cousin, and he shrugged at her.

"Grandfather," she started nervously, "lighting has struck. Three times."

The old man wearily raised his hazel eyes to meet his eldest granddaughter's.

"It can mean nothing…" he said, "The Draco Silicis was destroyed many years ago now…"

"Well, you must be mistaken," Clair replied bluntly.

The old man continued to stare at his knees, apparently not making the connection that Clair was so obviously hinting at.

"You have searched for her only in Johto," the Elder told his grandchildren heavily. "Dragonite could not make out her scent, therefore she is not in this region."

"We'll search farther afield, Grandfather," Lance said bowing to the old man, and wrenching Clair out of the room by her wrist before she could antagonise their grandfather further.

As soon as they were out of Dragon's Den he spoke to her.

"You have to stop upsetting him Clair, he's too old, it's not fair on him!"

Clair crossed her arms and looked in the opposite direction.

"You know as well as I do what's happening. Pascalia, God knows how, has found that stupid crystal. You know what's going to happen to us," her voice became progressively higher, "you know how dangerous -"

"Clair, hush!" Lance said sternly, looking around him to make sure nobody was listening to their conversation, "The 'legend' is not coming true, hell! It probably never will!"

"But the lightening -"

"Lighting can strike anywhere, at any time! Just because Pascalia is missing, and lightening has struck Blackthorn City does _not_ mean the legend is coming true!"

"You can't be certain it isn't," Clair whispered, her indigo eyes large with fear.

Lance sighed heavily and sat on the edge of the road.

"The only way that legend could come true, would be if any of us could speak Draconis. Draconis has deliberately not been taught for the last sixty years, so that this legend could be prevented from coming true," Lance shook his head at what he considered the ridiculousness of the Dragon Tamers of old.

"But -"

"The only way to control Dragon Pokémon in that way is if you can speak Draconis, and grandfather of all the Dragon Tamers is the only one who can speak it – and he never taught anybody!"

Clair chewed her lip as she considered her cousin's words. She knew that he was right, but she couldn't shake the gut feeling that she had. Something was very wrong she knew, and her sister was the cause of it.

"I know Pascalia has always been a little odd," Lance said, "it probably didn't help that we barely acknowledged her throughout her whole childhood…" he trailed off guiltily, and he and Clair both became lost in thought.

Pascalia was eight years their junior. By the time she was born they each had a Dratini of their own, and they cared for nothing else. Dragon Tamers usually only had one child, and Pascalia was an unwelcome addition to the family as far as Clair was concerned. Lance was a little kinder to his cousin, but ultimately found her older sister more interesting, and better company. There had always been something a little strange about Pascalia, he thought. She would sometimes follow him with her eyes and make him feel incredibly uncomfortable.

"Of course we ignored her!" Clair exclaimed, "She was a little weirdo, and everyone knew she fancied the pants off you."

"Well," Lance said awkwardly, "she knew that was never going to happen."

Despite being first cousins, Clair and Lance had been betrothed since the day she was born, and he was merely a year old.

"Either way," he continued, "we shouldn't have been so rotten to her. If we knew her a little better, we might have some idea of where she was now…"

Clair stared up into the stars, which were scattered spasmodically against an inky purple sky. Her sister had always caused problems for her, and as far as she was concerned, if Pascalia had deliberately left home that was up to her.

"You really can't find the Draco Silicis or control the Dragons unless you can speak Draconis?" she asked her fiancé.

"No, you can't" he said, putting an arm around her shoulders and leaning his head against hers, "and you heard Grandfather, the stone was destroyed years ago anyway."

Clair closed her eyes happily.

"I suppose tomorrow we'll draw up some maps, and decide which region to look in next," Lance said distantly. Clair looked at him incredulously.

"It's only for Grandfather's sake," he said wearily, "God knows I'm happier without her around."

-o-

The Elder tenderly fingered the ancient books that he held in his lap. They were leather bound, but so old that the leather had cracked completely, and the yellow pages were as delicate as a moth's wing. With a great sigh the Elder launched the three priceless books into the Dragon Fire and watched with hollow eyes as the scorching fire devoured the old, dry paper within minutes.

He had hidden the stone, but had he hidden it well enough? And why, _why_ had he kept the dratted books?

His mind wandered back to that fateful day almost a year ago, when he caught the seventeen year old Pascalia cross-legged in an empty cave in Dragon's Den, poring over the books that he should have destroyed many years ago…_would_ have destroyed had he not been weak. Too weak to dispose of the only tangible evidence of a more glorious past. How much could she have learned? For how long had she known of their hiding place?

He cried weakly into his hands as he contemplated the details of the legend, and what it meant for the life and soul of his favourite granddaughter.

-o-

"I wish the four of you, assuming you are willing, to aid me in proving the theory that Eevee can evolve in not only three ways, but five."

"How can this be proved?" Tripp asked, frowning.

"By managing to get Eevee to evolve of course," the Professor replied, "I will of course assist you throughout your research; I doubt very much that any of you will have undertaken a task so intellectually challenging as this before."

He paused and allowed to weight of his words to sink in.

"Think carefully, therefore, before you accept. Professors in many regions are interested in my research, and I know that many of them are very interested to see me fail. Greatness inspires envy," he added, bowing his head humbly, "being my assistants may mean having a level of publicity that you are not used to having. Be assured that I will try my hardest to make sure that the press will not bother you where I can avoid it. There will also be a social event – I wish to hold a dinner and a ball to present my findings, and yours, when they are ready. You will also be prepared for this and all it entails, in due course. If you could give me your answers at breakfast tomorrow, I would be most grateful. Whatever decision you make, I have very much enjoyed working with every one of you. Until tomorrow."

He smiled toothily at them all before making his way out of the Drawing Room, his walking stick muffled to a _thump_ by the plush carpet.

"So…" Jay started, his grey eyes wide, "any ideas?" He looked at each of the teenagers before him, trying to make his own decision easier. He noticed that Amy was staring avidly at Tripp. He knew that her final decision would be reflective of his. Likewise, Tripp kept glancing at Rose, who in turn was not looking at anybody, but was serenely surveying the view outside the ceiling-length windows.

Tripp cleared his throat and wiped his hands on his jeans.

"Rose?" he asked. He cursed himself for finding it so hard to speak to her. He therefore resolved to attempt to act as he once had, before there was any of this stifling awkwardness, on his part anyway, between them.

"Yes?" she asked, dragging her eyes from the window to meet his. Tripp felt that all too familiar mixture of hatred and longing course through him.

"Well?" he asked her in a strangled voice. Jay noticed that Amy was avidly watching their exchange.

"Well…what?" she asked in an infuriatingly calm tone.

"What are you going to do?" he half shouted in frustration.

"About…?"

Tripp closed his eyes and took a long patient breath. He knew what she was doing. Jay too had come to discover what it meant when Rose's eyes began to dance with mirth.

"You know what I'm asking," Tripp said through gritted teeth.

"I'm just astounded that my decision might affect yours," she said, looking him in the eye levelly.

"Well, why wouldn't it?!" Tripp yelled, causing Jay and Amy to flinch.

Rose continued to look at him, not having moved.

"Once I would have believed that it would, but I think we've come to a point where we can make our own decisions now," she said. She smiled slightly, before getting up from her seat by the window and leaving the room.

Tripp remained where he was with his mouth hanging open. What did she mean? Surely they were still going to stick together? They were on a journey together…Rose had made it perfectly clear, however, that should their decisions differ…

"Er…" Jay said awkwardly, catching Amy's eye, "maybe we should go and talk about it ourselves?"

"No, no," Amy said breathlessly, "it's fine. I…I don't want to talk about it yet."

Jay noted the desperate hope in her eyes that were still fixed on Tripp's gobsmacked face. Jay shook his head slightly at his twin, but made to leave the room nonetheless.

As he walked up the West Wing staircase he contemplated the exchange between Rose and Tripp. He would have bet his Eevee and his Taillow that there had been something more than friendship between them. He shuddered slightly. Anything deeply complicated with regards to emotion repelled him. He sighed as he thought of Amy who was only going to get hurt by meddling with Rose and Tripp's relationship. During the time the he had spent alone with Rose, Jay had discovered that she in fact wasn't rude and 'bitchy' as Amy insisted, but rather that she was witty and kind-hearted. Despite this making him like her more as a friend, it also meant that he was less focused on her looks, and inevitably, due to his intense dislike of complicated matters, stopped thinking of her in a romantic sense. He was essentially cleverer than his sister. He knew from looking at Tripp, that he did not want anything more than a platonic relationship with Rose. He smiled as he closed his bedroom door. It was quite an emancipating feeling.

-o-

Rose sat calmly on her bed, waiting for what she knew was certain to come. Only five minutes later, to her slight surprise, came the knock on her bedroom door.

"Come in," she called.

Tripp stood in the doorway. His expression was unreadable.

"We need to talk."

"Do we?" Rose asked calmly. She was quite happy with her new and very uncomplicated way of life.

"Of course we do," he snapped irritably. "This can't go on…"

"Well, perhaps it doesn't have to?" she replied.

"…What?"

"Well, from your conduct this past week I know you haven't been overly interested in the Professor's proposal."

"And you have been?"

Rose shrugged.

"Very much so, as you've probably deduced."

"So you're going to accept his offer?"

"Yes," she said, simply. He glared at her.

"Aren't you going to ask if I am?" he half shouted again, taking a step towards her in fury.

She stood up from where she was sitting on her bed and too took a step towards him. They were now close enough that, if she wanted to, she could have reached out and touched him.

She looked into his eyes, and frowned slightly as though she was confused by what she found there.

"Whether or not you wish to accept the proposal is _your_ decision," she said quietly, her eyes never leaving his.

Tripp took another step closer to her. He could feel his blood coursing through his body. He couldn't quite pinpoint his emotions. Hate, desire and fear were all struggling for supremacy.

"I was under the impression that we were travelling together," he whispered, still unable to drag his eyes from hers.

"_Were_ being the operative word" Rose said. They were so close he could feel her breath caressing his face. She turned away from him and walked towards her windowsill.

Tripp stared after her, his brain frozen. He heard what she had said but couldn't seem to make any sense of it. It felt as though an electrical current was coursing through him. His body was reacting to the mere closeness of hers. These sensations brought back with frightening clarity their second night on the mountain. He began to breathe heavily as he remembered her lips and the heat of her body against his.

Rose, waiting for a reply, turned to face Tripp. His look terrified her. She had gotten so used to seeing anger in his blue eyes, that their current state shocked her back to reality, threatening to bring down the guard she had so carefully built around herself. They took a step towards each other at the same time. Rose could hear nothing but a ringing in her ears, could see nothing but Tripp's face before her, could not look away from his eyes that were at the same time both blazing and soft…her stomach somersaulted…

There was a sharp rapping at the bedroom door.

"Rose?" Jay called, "can I come in?"

"Um," she called, her voice cracking, "s-sure!" she glanced back at Tripp who was still staring at her. His eyes were hardening once again, although his breathing did not settle.

Jay froze in the doorway when he noticed Tripp was in the room.

"Er -" he stammered.

"What is it?" Rose asked, falsely bright. She cursed herself over and over for what had nearly happened. She also cursed Jay for interrupting…

Shaking her head slightly to dismiss these thoughts, she began to randomly arrange things in her bedroom. She had to do something.

Jay looked from one to the other with his eyebrows raised. He genuinely had no idea what to make of their friendship.

"I was just wondering…if you were going to accept the proposal?"

"Yes, I think I am," she said hurriedly, "in fact I definitely am," she gabbled, avoiding both their eyes and moving her toothpaste into one of her boots.

"How about you Tripp?" Jay asked conversationally.

"I most definitely am," he said quietly, but with an intensity that made Rose look over at him. She flushed when she saw him staring at her again.

"Oh, okay. Cool," Jay said, still looking from one to the other, half confused and half amused, "well I thought I'd let you know that Amy and I are both going to accept too."

"That's great!" Rose gushed, still sounding hearty and false. _I have to get a grip on myself._

"Are you still up for tomorrow?" Jay asked. They had taken to training together in the late afternoon and getting a drink at the café afterwards.

"Of course!" Rose smiled.

"Where are you going?" Tripp asked suspiciously.

Rose began to bristle with anger. What right did he have to question her after how he had been treating her?

"I don't remember that being any of your business," she snapped.

Tripp glared at her, suddenly furious once again.

"Ah…and there it is," Rose laughed icily. Jay, noting the sudden tension in the room, backed out of the door and shut it quietly, unnoticed by either of them.

Rose had decided to go back to hating Tripp. After the initial hurt of their broken friendship, she had found that she flourished through her new routine. It could be lonely, but it was simple, and Rose yearned for simplicity.

"Yes, _there_ it is," Tripp sneered sarcastically, "there's just something about you Rose that I really can't stand," he hissed in her ear.

She smiled maliciously at him.

"Really?" she whispered softly in his ear, her lips grazing his neck. She found it hard to maintain control as her blood began to fizzle uncomfortably in her veins, but she knew that she must to prove her point.

It happened in a split second. Tripp pulled her body against his and claimed her lips hungrily. She gave an involuntary gasp at his boldness, and in a moment of madness could not help but kiss him back. She made herself pull away before she could fully lose control. Her chest was heaving. Tripp's eyes were hazy as he looked at her in confusion, wondering why she had stopped. Her eyes were anything but unfocused.

"You have a funny way of showing it," she whispered against his lips, before mustering her remaining self-control and leaving the room without a backward glance.

**AN:**

**I'm so, so sorry for the wait on this chapter. I've been really busy – not that that's any excuse ):**

**Thank you to those who consistently review. You are the sprinkles on top of my day and I love you (: (:**

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter once again, I'd love to hear any thoughts (or complaints!)**

**Love A xx **


	14. Chapter 14

The Professor, as anticipated, joined the four of them for breakfast the following morning. They sat expectantly in silence as the housekeeper placed a smoked kipper on each of their plates. It was clear that the Professor had no intention of speaking whatsoever, however, until he had eaten his fill, so the teenagers too began to eat their breakfast.

Three kippers, four slices of toast and a bowl of porridge later, he patted his stomach and rubbed his knotted hands together. Rose couldn't help but smile as she noticed that he was, in fact, slightly nervous.

"Well," he started, with the air of a man who was feeling completely comfortable about his current situation, "well, well, well. It's been a trying week, and I know that the information wasn't the easiest to swallow…" he gulped as they surveyed him, his eyes roving over each of them in turn.

"I accept, Professor" Rose said warmly; she felt bad about his blatant nervousness and wished to end it.

"You do?" he gasped, "why…my dear child –"

"As do I, Professor!" Tripp said, ignoring Rose who was smirking at his decision.

"We do too!" Amy said hurriedly, and Jay nodded his confirmation.

Professor Willow's eyes filled with tears at the positive response.

"You really wish to help me? All of you?"

Even Tripp could not help but crack a smile at the old man's manner, despite the fury that had possessed him since the previous evening.

"In that case, we must get started!" he exclaimed happily, still wiping tears from his eyes, "as I mentioned yesterday, I wish to prove that Eevee can evolve into two other types besides Water, Fire and Electric…"

"Professor?" Amy asked, her hand raised, "I know it's been speculated already that Eevee can evolve in other ways…can't we just go back to the source of this theory and start from there?"

The Professor looked at her incredulously.

"Did you not pick up anything from my lectures, dear girl?" Rose's lips twitched and she had to try very hard to contain her laughter at the dumbfounded look on Amy's face.

"It was _I_ who first came up with this theory. The original source therefore would be _me_, which is why the experiment is being carried out on _my _orders and at _my _Laboratory," he continued. Amy flushed a dark red. Professor Willow continued to stare at her for a few seconds as though she were mentally subnormal.

"Moving on," he sniffed, "these other types have of course not been determined, as Eevee has never been actively manipulated to evolve thus. And this is where you four come in. I believe it would be most efficient for you to work in pairs. I shall give you each pair another Eevee, and you will attempt to, and hopefully succeed in, managing to make it evolve. Aided of course by myself and the basic knowledge that you should now harbour," he added.

He was met by silence. Tripp was frowning.

"You're -" he cleared his throat, "you're giving us _another_ Eevee?"

The Professor blinked, startled by the question.

"Why of course. The Eevees I gave you are your own, to evolve as you wish."

He was again met by silence. Rose was particularly impressed by his generosity.

"Professor," she said, "if this Eevee you have given me is mine to keep and do what I will with, then I refuse to accept any other payment from you."

"You…pardon?" The Professor said, looking crestfallen as he misunderstood her.

"That is, I will carry out your experiment for you at no cost to yourself."

"Me too," Jay said, warmly.

Amy and Tripp also nodded in agreement.

The Professor burst into tears at this reaction, and continued to snort into his bow tie even after Jay and Rose hastily rose from their chairs to pat his back soothingly.

"You children are too good to this old man…too good," he sniffled.

"Hardly," Rose laughed. "I would have accepted even had there been no payment at all. I'm really interested in your line of work."

The Professor blew his nose loudly and Tripp's eyes narrowed at what he thought was Rose's brown-nosing.

After making sure that his airways were clear and his eyes dry, Professor Willow adopted his professional manner once more. Out of his pocket he brought four small silver devices complete with a button that, when pressed, unleashed a small needle.

"These little readers you will find very useful in your experiment," he said, "they are somatotropin level measurers."

Rose let out a small "Oh!" of comprehension.

"They're what?" Jay asked, looking intrigued by the reader all the same.

"Honestly Jay!" Rose scolded mockingly, "I only told you about somatotropin the other day! It's the growth hormone."

"Right again, Rose!" the Professor exclaimed happily, "The first part of the experiment will consist of levelling up the Eevee I give you, so that you will know exactly when is the best time to manipulate their evolution."

Amy paled slightly, and Tripp curled his fists in determination. He didn't realise this experiment would involve battling! He was suddenly much more interested.

"You will know the numerical ins and outs of Eevee's somatotropin levels from one of your basic lectures. If you can't, I'm sure Rose would, once again, be willing to lend you her notes," he winked at her kindly, and she blushed at the compliment. Tripp scowled from across the table.

"Now Rose, I would appreciate it if you could work with Amy here, and Jay with Tripp."

Rose sighed inwardly, she had really been hoping to work with Jay whom she had grown to be good friends with over the past week. Amy too looked disappointed and a little frightened.

"Professor?" Tripp began, "can't we –"

"Tripp: I have chosen these pairings as I believe this will be the fastest and most efficient way of gaining results. I don't want any of you being distracted by the opposite sex whilst carrying out my research," he winked roguishly at them all. They all stared at him in mute horror and embarrassment.

"It's Monday tomorrow, and I believe it makes sense to begin at the beginning of the week. We will start in the morning. Report to the Laboratory Suite at nine o'clock. I will give each pair their Eevee and their first instructions," he stood up, "again, I cannot thank you all enough for agreeing to assist me".

His beady, black eyes threatening tears once again, he made his way out of the dining room as fast as he could hobble.

-o-

Tripp frowned as he tried to read over all of the basic evolutionary notes later that morning. There were still some parts that didn't quite click for him. He rubbed his eyes hard with the heels of his hands and began to read again, determined to understand it this time.

There was a knock at his bedroom door. Half annoyed to be interrupted and half pleased to have an excuse to stop reading, he called, "Come in!"

He heard the door open, but nobody said anything. Assuming it was Amy, Tripp turned around in his seat and his mouth fell open with shock as he saw Rose standing in his doorway. She looked around his room with interest, never having been in it before.

"Hello," she said simply, moving over to his bed and sitting on it. Tripp stared at her. He was still furious with her from the night before, but he couldn't help the strange tightness in his chest that he felt upon hearing her talk to him so normally, to come casually into his room as though the past week hadn't happened.

"Hi," he managed.

She looked slightly surprised that he wasn't in a storming temper with her, but couldn't really be bothered to ponder it.

"Would you want to swap me your Fire Stone? I asked you the other day, but I don't think you gave an answer?"

Tripp cleared his throat. He had so longed to talk to her normally, but now that he was in the situation he couldn't. They_ weren't _normal with each other and he couldn't seem to put that aside.

"Tripp?"

"Y-yeah. Sure. Just take it."

Rose frowned. There was something strange about Tripp. She had expected, and half hoped for, an argument to break the monotony of her morning.

"I don't want to take it. I want to swap you. Do you want my Thunder Stone in exchange? It's real, the Professor checked."

"Don't you want it for Pikachu?" he asked, interested against his will.

Rose shrugged.

"His somatotropin levels are nowhere near low enough…I wouldn't evolve him yet anyway."

Tripp nodded.

"So…?" Rose asked, feeling thoroughly confused by Tripp's behaviour. Tripp himself was baffled. This morning he had hated her, but now he just felt rather deflated.

He rummaged in his rucksack before handing her the shimmering orange Fire Stone. She took it from him slowly and caught his eye, but he looked away from her quickly and sat down at his desk once more, his back to her. Rose took the green Thunder Stone from her pocket and placed it next to his notes where he could see it.

"Please take it," she said, smiling slightly at him. He looked up into her face and once again looked away quickly. Unsure what to think, Rose left his room in silence, the Fire Stone clutched tightly in her hand.

-o-

It felt funny to be wearing jeans, Rose thought as she walked through Tarragon City. Although it had only been just over a week since she had worn them last she felt oddly restricted. She laughed at the irony; she had donned her jeans as she thought that she would find it easier to battle in them.

This hadn't been her plan for the day, not at all. Upon administering the Fire Stone to Vulpix and watching her evolve into a glorious Ninetales however, Rose just felt that this was what she was meant to do.

As she opened the door to the Tarragon City Gym, the butler-like man jumped slightly before composing himself. This was clearly not a busy Gym.

"Back so soon?" he asked with a smirk.

Rose smiled humourlessly. It was one of the longest weeks she had ever lived through, and it felt like a lifetime ago that she was last in this Gym.

"I am," she said. Her head felt oddly light and calm. She felt strong, despite the strange exchange she had shared with Tripp that morning.

"Well Callisto is ready," he opened the door for her, and Rose stepped inside the battle chamber.

Just like the previous time, the air was thick with incense. Rose did not find it befuddling this time however, but rather stimulating. She breathed in deeply and felt the energy surge through her.

Callisto surveyed the girl standing across the chamber. She had battled her before, not very long ago. Yes she had strength, but she was too caught up inside her own head. This time her eyes looked clear and her stance was strong. Callisto smiled; she liked a challenge.

"Rose," she said quietly, and yet her voice still carried across the chamber, "you have returned."

Rose smiled.

"Yes, I'm ready this time."

"I hope so," Callisto replied softly, "three Pokémon will be used. I'll start with Shuppet," she released her Pokémon.

"I choose Pikachu!" Rose grinned.

The Pokémon appraised each other from either end of the chamber. A quick glance at Rose told Pikachu that she was on top form. He turned back to face his opponent, feeling invigorated with confidence.

"Shadow Ball, Shuppet."

Despite the strength of the attack, Rose did not shield her face this time, nor did the thought to even cross her mind.

Callisto blinked as Pikachu managed to dodge the attack with ease, despite not being ordered to.

"Use Thunderbolt!" Rose commanded. Shuppet was badly hit, but wasn't about to go down after one attack.

"Use Curse," Callisto ordered in her same, soft voice.

Rose smiled inwardly as Shuppet cut its own health, causing it to faint. Pikachu reeled slightly from the 'curse', but Rose remained unfazed, something that didn't go unnoticed by Callisto.

"Go, Drifblim."

Rose was surprised that she didn't feel more awed, for she had never before seen a Drifblim, but her mind remained curiously focused.

"Use Phantom Force."

Pikachu skidded to avoid the attack once again, but Shuppet's curse had made his reactions slower and he was hit with the tail end of Drifblim's attack. Recent, intensive training meant that Pikachu was able to shake off most of his pain, but Rose decided that now was the time to change.

"Pikachu come back – go Phanpy!"

The little elephant Pokémon was clearly ecstatic to be in his first proper battle. Rose smiled fondly at him as she remembered his hotheadedness in trying to push her and Tripp off the mountain before she had succeeded in catching him. She returned her thoughts to the battle however, not allowing the thought of Tripp, or any emotions that came along with it, to damage her focus.

Callisto smiled quietly at Rose's choice. She had not realised then, that being part flying type, a ground type Pokémon like Phanpy would not affect her Drifblim.

"Use Rock Tomb!"

Boulders came crashing down upon the Ghost type Pokémon, and Callisto, usually so collected, let out a gasp.

Before she had time to react, Phanpy had struck again with a Rock Slide attack, leaving Drifblim incredibly weak.

From the opposite side of the chamber Rose allowed herself a smile. She felt a strange sense that this battle was an opposite reflection of the last that they had had. Callisto was losing her composure and it had clicked with Rose that it was exactly that that she had been lacking in her previous Gym Battle. This time around she had mastered her mind and was battling with it, instead of relying on the strength of her Pokémon alone.

"Use Hex Drifblim!" Callisto shouted the command this time, desperate to make a mark on Phanpy. Drifblim noticed the strange tone in her trainer's voice. This, coupled with the necessary effort to make the attack, proved too much for Drifblim to take in, and, like Shuppet before her, Drifblim fainted.

Rose did not allow herself to become carried away. She knew from experience that Callisto was talented enough to win a match with one of her Pokémon alone. She had to remain in control.

"Come on, Mismagius!"

Callisto's last Pokémon was released from its Pokéball. It smiled as it took in its opponent.

"Come back Phanpy, go, Pikachu!"

Callisto blinked at Rose's strange, and rather stupid, choice to bring the cursed Pikachu back into battle. She was so intent upon seeing the curse take effect that she was quite unaware of the damage that Pikachu was inflicting on Mismagius without her noticing. Panicking, Callisto recalled her mind to the battle in an attempt to salvage a win.

"Mismagius, use Astonish!"

To her horror, Pikachu managed to dodge the attack and returned to the battle, very much uncursed.

Callisto's mind was reeling. Of course. The curse ends if the Pokémon is switched out, she remembered. But she had never met another trainer who had known that. She felt both amused and horrified as she realised that she had forgotten her own, most important piece of advice - to keep your strength of mind throughout a battle.

After Mismagius inevitably fainted, Callisto returned her Pokémon to her Pokéball in silence. She walked across the chamber to where Rose was standing next to Pikachu. Rose looked slightly confused, but her elation at winning was shining in her eyes.

"Rose," Callisto said warmly, "I thank you."

Rose inclined her head to the side slightly in confusion.

"Most trainers who challenge me have so little strength of mind that I find that I can defeat them with ease," she paused, "…it has been so long since I have challenged anyone with any strength of mind that I appear to have forgotten how to use my own. You've made me realise this."

Rose smiled back into the Gym Leader's violet eyes.

"It's all so clear now," Rose said, "you'd be impossible to beat if I hadn't learnt to strengthen my mind."

Callisto unpinned the amethyst Spirit Badge from the inside of her floating grey dress and handed it to Rose, who pinned on the front of her jacket beneath her other four badges.

"I noticed that you and your friend both lacked strength of mind…considering the skill of both of your Pokémon, if you both learn to control and strengthen your minds, you'll be unstoppable."

With one last, closed smile, Callisto left the chamber, leaving Rose feeling both pleased and a little bewildered. She smiled to herself nostalgically; if only she could tell Tripp that it was her letting go of emotion, that he always berated, that had enabled her to win a Gym battle.

-o-

Tripp's feeling of all too familiar fury threatened to return not long after Rose had left his room. Again, part of his fury was down to the fact that he didn't exactly know why he was so mad, and therefore could not do anything to resolve his anger.

He picked up the Thunder Stone resting on his desk and turned it over in his fingers. He found himself smiling as he thought back to the day when Vulpix had found it, before it had all changed. He shook his head. This thinking was driving him insane. He couldn't stop these thoughts however. They invaded his mind constantly and had done so for nearly a week. He sighed heavily. He very much wanted to resolve what had happened between him and Rose, but the trouble was that he wasn't entirely sure what it _was _that had happened between them. He grimaced as he thought back to the past week and how uncomfortable it had been. It was no longer possible for him to distinguish who was more in the wrong. True, he had probably started the feud, or whatever it was, but she hadn't helped matters…

It couldn't go on. They were best friends, if nothing else. He stood abruptly from his desk and decided to go in search for her. He wanted to talk to her with no awkwardness and no arguments. He was going to make sure they got back to where they were before…well perhaps not before they arrived in Tarragon, but before the mountain, when everything was simple. As he made his way downstairs, a little voice in Tripp's head reminded him that they had in fact been experiencing problems since they left for their journey. He shook his head and ran his hands through his hair. He didn't care; he'd do whatever it took to get their friendship back on track.

-o-

Jay looked up as he heard the door of the small lecture theatre swing open. Tripp stood in the doorway looking determined.

"Oh," he said, "hey Jay."

"Hi…are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah…I just thought…I thought Rose might be in here…"

"She normally helps me study in here," Jay shrugged, "but she said she was going somewhere today."

"Oh," Tripp said wondering where she might be. She wasn't in her bedroom.

"Do you fancy studying?" Jay asked, "there's loads of hot chocolate left in the pot?"

Tripp smiled but shook his head.

"Thanks, but I really need to find Rose."

"Sure," Jay grinned back.

As Tripp left the room, he realised that he actually quite liked Jay. He couldn't deny that this was partly due to the fact that Jay no longer looked at Rose in that shy yet hopeful manner…

"Hello Tripp."

Tripp started as he bumped into Rose who had just rounded the corner.

"Hey!" he said, relieved to have found her so quickly. He blinked, however, upon taking in her outfit. She was wearing her jeans and walking boots, and he could see her Pokébelt peeping out from her jacket.

Rose was rather taken aback at how pleased he sounded to see her. She dismissed these thoughts before she began to feel any hope and made an effort to retain her iron core.

"Hey," she smiled, "what're you doing?"

"I was looking for you," he smiled back, his heart beating hopefully.

Rose found herself becoming speechless with happiness. She cursed herself that his simply looking for her and smiling at her could make her feel like this. But she didn't care, she could feel heat creeping up her neck as she waited for him to continue…but he didn't. His warm eyes hardened and cooled as he looked from her jacket back into her eyes. Rose blinked in confusion, so suddenly did his mood change.

"Congratulations," he snapped, turning and walking away from her.

"Tripp? Wha-?"

"You finally got your Spirit Badge. Well done you," he snarled sarcastically.

Rose's bewilderment soon turned to anger upon realising what he was talking about.

"For God's sake Tripp!" she shouted, "why do you have to be so _jealous_? Why can't you just be happy for me?"

He spun around to face her.

"_Jealous_?" he exclaimed, "I'm not _jealous_ of you!"

"What is it then?" she sneered, "You were jealous when I beat Elliot, and you were jealous that very first day in Chicory Forest when you realised I could actually battle! You're _pathetic_!" she spat before turning back and storming up to her room.

Tripp too stormed away in the opposite direction towards the grounds. His blood was pumping in his ears and his hands were shaking. He felt sick with humiliation. Of course she was right…he_ was _jealous, and he had never been able to stand it when she beat him. He swore loudly as he paced the neatly manicured gardens and kicked a stone into the nearby pond.

He heard the door open and looked over his shoulder to see Amy walking towards him nervously. An intense desire to do something, anything, overtook him and he marched towards her. Amy stopped walking in confusion, but this did not matter as Tripp soon closed the distance between them. He took her face roughly in his hands and kissed her. She froze in shock, but began to kiss him back. As soon as she did however, he let go, swore again and moved away from her.

Amy didn't know what to feel; she felt both terrified and ecstatic that she had had such an effect on him.

"Tripp," she called huskily, making to take his hand.

"Just leave me alone!" he shouted at her, before wrenching his hand out of her grip and making his solitary way towards the orchard.

Amy stood stock still in shock. Tripp's temper scared her, but she couldn't help but feel that there was something incredibly romantic and intense about the situation, and thus she made her way back into the Professor's house.

Tripp didn't know how long he had sat in the orchard. His behind was feeling incredibly numb when he finally raised his face from his hands. He registered with faint surprise that he must have been sat there for a good few hours, for the sky had turned black since he last looked upon it. He began to feel shame for his actions having reflected on them for hours on end. He knew that the argument with Rose was entirely his fault. He had wished to fix things with her, and yet even something as small as her winning a Gym battle had prevented him from doing so, by kindling his jealously. He could admit to himself that he was jealous of her, but that _she_ realised it…he closed his eyes again in horror. And then Amy…why had he done it? Why had he kissed her? He knew that he did not like her in that way, she just held no interest for him. He unwillingly imagined kissing Rose as he had kissed Amy and he groaned with desire and frustration. God knows how after everything that had happened between them, but he still wanted her. He sighed as he remembered how happy she had appeared when he spoke to her normally that afternoon, how hopeful she looked when he said he had been looking for her. He laughed grimly to himself. The apology he had been planning before he saw her may have worked but he knew, after the spectacle this afternoon, that there was no chance of their reconciliation any time soon. Heaving himself off the ground, Tripp made his way back to the Laboratory, his head and his heart heavy with his mistakes and the implications they had now caused.

-o-

Jay couldn't help but overhear the shouting match between Rose and Tripp; they hadn't been far from the small lecture theatre after all.

He knocked tentatively on Rose's bedroom door and, upon receiving no answer, opened the door an inch.

"Rose?"

She was sat on the floor hugging her knees to her chest.

"Rose…are you all right?"

He looked at her nervously, but was relieved to see that her eyes were dry. He never could take it very well when Amy cried.

Rose gave a non-committal shrug and continued staring into space. Jay came and sat next to her.

"So you won the Spirit Badge?"

A ghost of a grin flitted across her face.

"Yes, I did," she said, "and that is apparently why my 'best friend'," she scoffed at the title, "is furious with me."

"That's the only reason why?" Jay asked innocently.

Rose stared at him reproachfully.

"You were listening weren't you?"

"Er, to be honest Rose, I didn't have much choice_ but_ to overhear you…you two both own one hell of a pair of lungs."

Rose managed a small laugh. She felt a little better already.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked gently.

Rose shook her head apologetically.

"Not especially," she said, wrinkling her nose, "what have you done this afternoon?"

Jay blushed slightly and Rose sat up straighter to look at him properly.

"What is it?" she asked interestedly; he looked very shifty.

"I went to Carlo's today."

"Our café?" Rose asked in confusion, turning around so that she was fully facing Jay.

"Mhmm," he said, becoming very interested in the carpet on her bedroom floor.

Rose began to grin.

"Why did you go there alone, Jay?"

He turned progressively more red and Rose nodded knowingly.

"That barista…I thought you might have a thing for her…"

Jay gasped and stared at Rose.

"Really? How?!"

"Powers of deduction my dear, powers of deduction," Rose said snootily, patting Jay on the head.

"Get off!" he laughed, slapping her hand away.

"So?"

"So what?" Jay asked defensively.

"How did it go?" Rose grinned, "I'm pretty sure she likes you too, so –"

"You think?" he asked, his grey eyes shining.

Rose laughed, "Of course! What's not to like?" she added fondly, "Did you get her name?"

"Bianca."

"That's pretty," Rose mused.

"So what shall I do?" Jay asked, ignoring her.

"What do you mean? Sounds like you're already on it!" she winked at him. Jay shoved her to the floor and she got back onto her knees, laughing at him.

She really did feel a lot better.

"Ah Jay," she said, leaning against him and closing her eyes, "I think you're good for me."

-o-

Cristine was extremely frustrated and she ran her hands through her short, blond hair in exasperation. The other three members of the Elite Four surveyed her quietly.

"I can see where you're coming from…" Veronica said, "but I just can't accept it as fact."

"But why not?!" Cristine exclaimed, "Just because -"

"Because it's _not_ fact, Cristine," Petar said, sitting back and stretching his vastly muscled arms behind his head. He was growing tired of this conversation.

"Lux?" Cristine asked.

Lux chewed on her bottom lip slowly, her dark blue eyes narrowed.

"Like Veronica, I can see why you're worried about this…and the declining Pokémon levels are undeniably odd, but can you really claim this is linked to the 'legend' of Blackthorn on the word of a couple of kids?"

Cristine rolled her eyes.

"Right. I know your views. But still, do any of you wish to ask the Champion with me?"

Petar grimaced.

"He really doesn't like to be bothered…"

"He _is_ the Champion," Veronica said thoughtfully, "it's technically his duty to investigate this sort of thing."

"When has he ever investigated anything though?" Lux said with a chuckle.

"It's not _funny_!" Cristine said, "this could be serious! The most serious thing to happen since the Garchomp Rampage."

"If you are right, and I do mean if," said Petar, "it certainly _would_ rival the Garchomp Rampage…" he mused.

"Well," said Lux with a grin, "it was Fuego who sorted that out before he became Champion…maybe he's now seeking an easy life?"

"The Champion doesn't become the Champion to have an 'easy life'," Veronica said seriously.

"And this is why you're my favourite," Cristine smiled, "will you talk to him with me?"

Veronica hesitated, but gave in to Cristine's imploring look.

"Fine, but he never takes me seriously anyway."

Petar laughed.

"How can you expect a fire type trainer to take a grass type trainer seriously?" he winked.

"Oh har, har," Veronica said rolling her eyes, before making her way to the Hall of Fame with Cristine.

The Champion, as usual, was sat quietly in his chair reading.

"Fuego? Can we talk to you?" Cristine called from the doorway.

Fuego raised his tired brown eyes to see Cristine and Veronica standing outside the Hall of Fame. Only the Champion was allowed inside. Silently he bookmarked his page and made his way slowly to the door. Soundlessly they followed him down the corridor to his rooms.

He took a seat in his leather armchair and motioned for them to sit opposite him on the velvet, cranberry coloured sofa. He continued to stare at them, making no move to speak first.

"Fuego," Cristine started awkwardly, "I don't want to bother you…"

"And yet you seem to be doing so anyway," he raised a black eyebrow at her.

Cristine flushed an angry, blotchy red.

"It's your job to listen!"

He continued to stare at her in silence until she calmed down slightly.

"Fuego," Veronica began, "we only ask you to learn your opinion. As you know a series of strange events have been happening…"

"Which events are you referring to?" he asked lifelessly.

Even cool-tempered Veronica could feel her blood beginning to boil at his insolent attitude.

"The case of the declining Pokémon, the fact that lightening has struck Blackthorn three times, Elliot being found in his Gym with no recollection of who beat him…"

Fuego blinked slowly but didn't say a word.

"Girls," he said after he realised that they were not leaving, "if you believe these events to be so important, why don't you investigate them yourselves? You don't need my permission," he closed his eyes wearily. Open fires always relaxed him and made him drowsy.

"I'm not looking for your permission!" Cristine snarled, "I want your help! You're the Champion! You're supposed to_ want _to do this sort of thing!"

"I have made my contribution to Sesame," he replied quietly, his eyes still closed.

"Yeah, about ten years ago! That's how long ago the Rampage was! You can't just do one good deed and expect your duties as the Champion to be finished!" Cristine was now on her feet, breathing heavily.

"Just leave me be," Fuego said quietly, his eyes still firmly closed.

"Come on," Veronica said quietly, taking Cristine by the arm and leading her from the stiflingly hot room.

Fuego sighed as he heard the door slam behind them. He looked into the flames and sighed once more, feeling fifty years older than he really was.

**AN: I wanted my region to have an atypical Champion; who's to say that they're always concerned for the safety of their region etc? As you can see, in Sesame it falls to the Elite Four, Cristine in particular, to take care of things.**

**And poor Rose, and poor Tripp too. He's always been a bit funny about her potential superiority to him, and he just can't handle it :/ Don't hate him for it, it's just part of his competitive nature and their relationship isn't exactly stable at the moment. Ha.**

**So once again, beautiful reviewers (you really are perfection in my eyes) (; let me hear your thoughts! To those who have never reviewed, fear not! There is still time to change your ways! Even give me a little hello, tell me who your favourite or least favourite character is! I'd really love to hear from you (:**

**P.S to those of you who have read this before, Carina has been rechristened 'Bianca' – there are too many females whose names begin with 'C' in this story! ;)**

**A xx**


	15. Chapter 15

Monday morning found the four teenagers stood in silence outside the Laboratory Suite. Both Jay and Amy appeared somewhat nervous. Jay's ears were slightly red as he stared resolutely at the wall in front of him. Amy's eyes swivelled continually between Rose and Tripp. The latter was stood with his arms tightly crossed, the muscles of his forearms continually flexing and unflexing, where Amy assumed he was clenching and unclenching his fists. He was determinedly not looking at Rose who, in stark contrast, was glaring at him with such ferocity that Amy wouldn't have been surprised if her blazing brown eyes burned a hole right through him.

At precisely nine o'clock the double doors of the Laboratory swung open and the Professor ushered them inside. Both Rose and Tripp momentarily forgot their animosity towards one another as they took in the intricate machinery, the thousands upon thousands of liquids and powders in small glass vials, the hundred or so rock specimens illuminated by florescent lights in their glass cabinets, and of course, the vast number of Evolution Stones that were encased in cylindrical glass tubes than ran the length of the floor to the ceiling. It was, quite clearly, the proof of a lifetime of dedication to evolution.

"Did you all bring your Somatotropin readers?" the Professor enquired. All four nodded. "Good, because I want to get started right away."

The little man rubbed his hands together n excitement. To Jay and Amy he handed a Pokéball.

"In here are your experimental Eevees. I should hope that it's unnecessary for me to inform you that although they are effectively 'experiments' they are still Pokémon and I do not expect them to be mistreated in any way," he surveyed them over his thick glasses before smiling, "as you know, part of the way to build Happiness, which I believe is essential to the manipulation of Sun and Moonlight evolution, is by bonding with the Pokémon – so if this experiment is to be a success the Pokémon should be most well looked after anyway."

He cleared his throat and, with some difficulty, lifted two rather thick paper files, one which he handed to Rose and the other to Tripp.

"In these files you will find a revision of all the information you should already be familiar with, along with your personal pair assignment. One pair will be attempting to manipulate the Moon and the other the Sun," the Professor gave a wry smile, "the pair with the Moonlight assignment will need to adapt a somewhat nocturnal lifestyle."

Rose smiled inwardly. Considering she wasn't working with Tripp, she would hardly see him, if at all, over the next few weeks. She grimaced, however, when she realised that she wouldn't see Jay either, but rather would be spending a lot more time with Amy.

"You should know what you're doing," the Professor said with a twinkle in his eye. "I suggest you read over your files together before proceeding…and after that…the best of luck to you."

Amy looked somewhat alarmed.

"That's it? We don't get any instructions or – or anything?"

Rose cleared her throat in an attempt not to laugh at her obvious panic. Amy turned red, and Tripp was caught between indignation on Amy's behalf and an overwhelming desire to laugh himself. Upon noticing Rose's self-assured smile however, he became angry. _She thinks she's so clever._

"Your instructions are in the files," the Professor told her, with the air of a man trying very hard not to sigh in exasperation, "I thought we could make it something of a competition. Whoever's Eevee evolves first wins. Now off you go."

-o-

Rose and Amy were sat opposite one another in silence in the dining room. Amy kept opening her mouth to speak, but closed it every time before she could get any words out. Rose was not paying her any attention, but was avidly reading their file and making notes.

"Can I do anything?" Amy asked jerkily. She had never really spoken to Rose alone.

To her surprise Rose looked up from her notes and passed her the file.

"We've been given Sunlight," she smiled, "which I'm glad about because I'm not a nocturnal creature…"

Amy smiled tentatively back but didn't say anything. Rose watched her reading the file and noticed that her eyes grew considerably wider.

"You okay?"

Amy nodded a little forcefully.

"I don't mind taking care of the training side of things," Rose shrugged, "if you don't want to?"

Amy visibly relaxed.

"Really? You don't mind?"

"No," Rose's lips twitched, "but you'll have to do a lot of the other stuff."

Amy appeared to tense up again slightly.

Rose sighed inwardly. She had a feeling that most of this experiment was going to be conducted alone.

-o-

Jay groaned as he and Tripp read over their file in the Small Lecture Theatre.

"I really hoped we wouldn't have the Moonlight assignment," Jay mumbled through his hands which he had hidden his face in.

"Really? I'm so glad," Tripp grinned, putting his hands behind his head and leaning back on his chair, "I've spent the last couple of months waking up at half six or seven, and now I get to sleep all day!" he laughed.

"Why did you get up so early if you hate it?" Jay asked curiously.

"We camped," Tripp said quickly, deliberately not elaborating.

"Oh," Jay replied softly. He had learnt early on that Tripp did not like talking about Rose. Especially so now considering their heated argument the day before.

"Well, I suppose we'd better get going?" Tripp asked, standing up, "We've got a lot of work to do. I reckon we need to really up Eevee's happiness before we even think about training it…"

"Shouldn't we be getting some sleep today, and maybe starting at night?"

Tripp looked at Jay incredulously.

"Mate, I dunno about you, but I only woke up a couple of hours ago, and considering I very much doubt that Eevee is going to evolve tonight…I say we start working in the day for now.

Jay flushed.

"You're right," he said. He wished he was working with Rose. She always made him feel cleverer than he was, unlike her 'friend'. Jay wondered for the millionth time what had gone on between the pair, before huffing and following Tripp out into the streets of Tarragon City.

-o-

Chelsea couldn't repress a shudder when Pascalia entered the cave in which they had made a permanent base in Dill Woods. It was the ideal location; the presence of the imprisoned Garchomp in Dill Rook itself meant that nobody was much inclined to go near the mountain for fear of the unlikely event that the Dragon Pokémon escaped. This, coupled with the fact that the woods were incredibly dark and eerily misty, made the area completely secluded and therefore perfect.

Pascalia herself had transformed completely. When Chelsea had first met her on the road to Rue Town she had been incredibly weak. She constantly had pains in her head and her hands had a permanent tremor. She slept most of the day and at night would continue with her plans, bundled in her burgundy cape, Dragonair's head forever resting in her lap. She was never able to keep food down, and claimed that she felt better when she did not attempt to eat at all. This had changed. Chelsea had now learned to avert her eyes when Pascalia entered the cave so as to avoid the inevitable lurching of her stomach. Beautiful as Pascalia undeniably was, the effect was marred somewhat by the blood that streamed from the corners of the mouth and dried in small flecks around her exquisite face and her demonic golden eyes. For she had finally found sustenance - one that she could keep down and seemed to relish. Chelsea swallowed hard and willed herself not to vomit as Pascalia licked the fresh blood from the corners of her mouth. Like Dragonair, she liked her meat fresh. For the hundredth time Chelsea wondered if the young woman was actually turning into a Dragon - she shook her head. This thought was dismissed each time, although with decreasing vehemence.

Pascalia's slitted-pupil eyes were glowing with deranged happiness.

"The Spheal have evolved into Sealeo. All of them," she said, her clear voice ringing throughout the cave. Hielo, Ledus and Chelsea remained silent, unsure as to whether or not they were permitted to speak.

"As you know, I was planning to have all the Sealeo evolve into Walrein," only Chelsea's face showed any of the alarm that they all felt, "but I don't believe it will be necessary any longer."

Again the three recruits remained silent.

"We already have thirty-nine Dewgong. Once you have managed to get hold of the Water Stones we will have twenty-five Cloyster. That makes sixty-four Pokémon in their final stage of evolution. This will suffice. Both Dragonair and I are too impatient to wait much longer…"

"And once they have all evolved?" Hielo asked.

Pascalia smiled, her face ethereally beautiful despite her frightening eyes.

"All in due course Hielo. There is no need for you to know the next step until we are ready to undertake it."

Hielo nodded his dismissal.

"H-how are you planning to get inside the mountain?" Chelsea asked, trying with all her might not to let the fear in her voice be heard. She failed miserably and Pascalia smiled even more widely.

"Not quite as stupid as you look," she drawled, "as you probably know, the trainer who trapped the Garchomp inside the mountain used a Fire Blast attack so hot, and so powerful that the very rock itself melted and fused, and thus sealed the entrance of the mountain for good. Or so they believed…"

"So how can we get past it?" Ledus questioned, feeling bold now that Pascalia actually appeared to be answering questions.

She laughed shrilly and unpleasantly.

"Only _I_ shall be entering the mountain. _You_ will be aiding me to get in."

"But how -?"

"Now is not the time" she whispered silkily.

"But –"

"If you disapprove of my methods, you are free to leave my service."

Pascalia stared at them all levelly. From outside the cave they could hear Dragonair tearing at animal flesh and grinding bones in its colossal jaws. None of them responded. The sinister sounds coming from outside the cave reminded them all too effectively of what 'leaving Pascalia's service' truly meant.

-o-

"An invitation?" Lance asked, pushing his red hair out of his eyes. Clair smiled before answering him; she loved him when he was like this, poring over his documents and trying to make Johto a better place for both people and Pokémon.

"Yes, from Professor Willow."

Lance frowned.

"Is he the evolution one? The really old man with thick glasses?"

"Yes, he's invited us to a ball and dinner to celebrate his latest findings."

"And what are his findings exactly?"

Clair re-read the invitation before laughing.

"They're to be disclosed at the event apparently."

Lance grimaced before laughing along with his fiancée.

"Which means they haven't been finalised."

Clair bit her lip.

"Are we going to go?" she tried to ask casually, but Lance knew her too well. He stood up from his desk and took her hands in his.

"We shouldn't…we really need to find Pascalia."

He felt Clair tense and he continued.

"But…Sesame_ is_ the only region in which we haven't started searching and…well…"

"What?" Clair asked, confused by his hesitancy.

"A few strange things have been happening in Sesame. There's the severe beating of that Gym Leader, not to mention the declining levels of Pokémon in certain bodies of water, and that old fortune teller lady who was found dead in her tent, apparently from either fear or shock…"

"Why is any of this your problem?" Clair asked frowning; he already worked too hard as it was.

"It's not…but their Champion doesn't appear to care about anything."

"How do you know?"

"Cristine, one of the Elite Four in Sesame told me. She was trying to gather support to help her investigate the goings-on that I just mentioned."

"Aren't you going to help?"

Lance pulled a face and smiled slightly.

"I must say, I don't feel very inclined too. Like many of our relatives, Cristine seems to think that the 'legend' is coming true."

Clair's eyes widened considerably and Lance immediately regretted what he had said.

"But it obviously isn't. I'm actually inclined to agree with their Champion, this once, and take no action here."

"Is it true that their Champion is actually the trainer that imprisoned the Garchomp all those years ago?"

Lance smiled, "Yes, apparently he is. He doesn't really like people knowing it though. I think only the Elite Four in Sesame are actually aware that he and that trainer are in fact the same person. He even changed his name after The Rampage so as to get no publicity."

"Why wouldn't he want recognition? He pretty much saved the region!"

Lance shrugged, "Not everyone likes the spotlight."

"So what's his name?"

"Fuego."

"Is that his real name?"

"No."

"What _is_ his real name?"

Lance laughed and ruffled her hair.

"You're worse than a dog Pokémon with a bone. I don't think anyone knows his old name. Not even the Elite Four."

Clair pondered this, and then shrugged.

"You want to go and check it out right?" she asked slyly.

"Yes…" Lance smiled, knowing exactly where she was going with this.

"And of course we _need_ to go to Sesame to find _dear_ little Pascy," Lance laughed aloud into her hair. He could almost hear her rolling her eyes.

"And we'll need a couple of weeks to prepare for our trip…"

"Okay, okay we can go to Professor Willow's bloody dinner," he said, one eyebrow raised in amusement.

Clair grinned at him, before leaning in for a kiss.

-o-

Rose took one of each flavour Poffin out of her case and lined them up on the expansive, expertly manicured back lawn of the Laboratory. She released the baby Eevee from its Pokéball and smiled as it sniffed each Poffin whilst standing on shaky little legs.

"Oh look! She likes the sweet one!" Rose exclaimed turning to Amy who, to her annoyance, wasn't even watching Eevee but was filing her nails.

"Aw!" she said, attempting to sound enthusiastic before turning back to her nails, "Do you have any top coat?"

"Any what?" Rose asked blankly as she packed away the rest of the Poffins.

"Top coat. You know, for nails?"

Rose had to bite the insides of her cheeks to stop herself retorting rudely.

"Shall we start training?"

"How do we train a baby? It can barely stand," Amy yawned and lay back on the grass, hitching her top up in an attempt to tan her white stomach.

"I just want to take her for a bit of a jog around the grounds, develop her muscles a bit," Rose said, "mind you don't burn," she added.

Amy rolled her eyes patronisingly. She had decided that Rose was actually very boring – all she wanted to do was study and train. Because of this, she was no longer worried about Tripp's preference for her and instead was concentrating on beautifying herself. She really wanted to kiss him again, she would do _anything_ to kiss him again…

After a while of lying down she started to grow rather hot, and so sat up to drink some of her water. She spotted Tripp standing near the French doors that opened onto the grounds. Blushing she pulled her top back down and waved at him. But he wasn't looking at her. She followed his gaze and saw Rose laughing as she ran Eevee, who was wearing a short lead, around in a circle. Amy felt strangely cold as she registered how smooth and brown Rose's legs were in her shorts and how her heavy curls shone coppery brown in the sunlight. Against her will she wondered how Rose always managed to look so good in such simple clothes. Her denim shorts were plain, as was her white vest. Her boots came halfway up her calf and accentuated her muscles, which could only have been attained through hard walking and training. She watched Tripp make his way over to her and couldn't bear to watch anymore. She gathered up her things and ran back to the Laboratory and into her bedroom.

-o-

"Come on Eevee!" Rose laughed as the little Pokémon stopped her circuit in a bid to chase her own tail.

"Looking good!"

Rose looked up and her smile faded slightly as she saw Tripp watching her, his arms crossed over his chest. She frowned at him. She could never understand how he could go from hating her to attempting to be friendly in a matter of hours.

"What do you want, Tripp?" she asked, not actually intending to sound as short as she did.

"I wanted to see how you two are getting on…" he looked around the grounds, "Amy not helping?"

"She's sunbathing," Rose said, with no effort to hide her contempt. Tripp looked around the grounds again.

"Well she's not anymore," he grinned.

Rose shrugged. She was having so much fun with Eevee that she didn't even notice that Amy had wandered off.

Tripp found himself at a loss for words. He had actually been looking for Amy; he and Jay wanted some inside information as to what Rose was doing with her Eevee. Amy wasn't in her room, so he thought he'd check the grounds…and there he found Rose. Yesterday morning, when they had been given their Eevees, he was still furious with her about the Gym badge. He knew that he was jealous, but in actual fact it wasn't only that. Any little thing seemed to get his back up these days. He was so goddamn confused as to what had happened, and completely sick of trying to analyse it too. He couldn't see any way of fixing their friendship, let alone what might have been a relationship…

"Are you blushing?" Rose asked, half irritated with him for interrupting her training and half amused; it wasn't every day she caught Tripp blushing.

Tripp cleared his throat as if he were about to speak, but stopped himself and sighed heavily. Rose felt her heart began to pump faster, although she wasn't entirely sure why.

"Are you okay?" she asked, taking a step towards him.

He looked into her eyes and they both stood completely still, only a foot away from each other. He could hear her breathing heavily, and saw the torment in her eyes as she chewed on her bottom lip. He took another half step towards her, unsure of what he was doing, of what was going to happen. He felt an odd sort of sweeping in his stomach and a strange electricity coursed through him. He stepped back again, just as she stepped towards him. The look of horror in her eyes confused him momentarily. She turned and sprinted towards the Laboratory without a backward glance. Tripp, realising her intentions too late, was left standing alone on the lawn with her Eevee, cursing the earth and his existence upon it.

-o-

Back in her bedroom, Rose was sat with her back against the wall, her face in her hands.

_You fucking idiot. What the hell was that? What did you think you were doing? What possessed you to try and _kiss_ the bastard?_

She groaned aloud as she realised that her running away had effectively confirmed any suspicions that Tripp may have felt. There was no way she could explain it to him - hell! She couldn't even explain it to herself…

What was it about him that made her lose her head if he came too close to her? The only option left was clear. She would have to avoid him now – like the plague. She didn't know why she had acted in that way, and therefore was in no fit state to either explain it to him either. And he was bound to be interested in her answer…

There was a sudden knock at her bedroom door. Rose jumped to her feet in a panic and began to smooth her hair – much to her own annoyance.

"Come in!" she said, her voice cracking. She berated herself when she felt momentarily flat, because it was Jay who was at her bedroom door.

"Hey!…" he began, "are you okay?" he questioned, taking in her slightly crazed eyes.

"Fine I'm fine!" she said, far too quickly. Jay raised his eyebrows at her but let it pass.

"Are you busy? The Professor wants to see us."

"You and I?" Rose asked, surprised.

"No, all of us."

"Is it about the assignment? We only got it yesterday!"

"I'm not sure, but they're all waiting in the Small Lecture Theatre."

"Okay let's go."

-o-

"To say I'm disappointed would be a gross understatement," Professor Willow said quietly. Rose felt her cheeks burn with shame. She couldn't believe that in her haste she had left Eevee in the garden with Tripp.

"I dread to think what might have happened to a baby Eevee, alone in the grounds, had Tripp not had the sense to bring her back to the Laboratory," The Professor continued to stare imploringly at Rose and Amy. Rose, despite her shame, was looking the old man in the eye. Amy, to nobody's surprise, was examining her manicure.

He sighed deeply.

"Age has its shortcomings, and ironically naivety is one of them…I no longer think it wise for you to remain in your original pairs. This was the sort of situation I was planning to avoid when I chose your partners…"

Rose's eyes widened, she was both terrified and strangely elated about this statement.

"Therefore Amy, you will now be working with Tripp, and Jay, you will work with Rose. Good evening to you all."

He left the Lecture Theatre, shaking his head at the pettiness of youth.

Rose felt a small bubble of something deflate in her chest. Was she disappointed that she wasn't to work with Tripp? Did she really want to talk to him after the spectacle that afternoon? Yes, she found herself thinking. Yes, she did.

-o-

The following week was strange for Rose. Her and Jay, as she knew they would, worked marvellously as a pair and their Sunlight Eevee grew from strength to strength. Now that they had established exactly how to raise the Pokémon's happiness, real training could begin. Despite these positive advances in their project, Rose couldn't help but feel slightly out of it. Tripp and Amy she never saw. They seemed to be taking the 'Moonlight' aspect of their assignment quite literally, for Rose had not in fact seen either of them since the disastrous meeting with Professor Willow. She could guess that their Eevee too would be doing well; she knew of Tripp's skill as a trainer and she was certain (she snorted contemptuously) that Amy would be throwing herself whole-heartedly into the experiment now that she was working alongside him. What surprised Rose most was how much she wanted to see Tripp. The last few weeks had been disastrous, and she could admit that most of the time she had avoided his company. There was no denying he had changed, and she still wasn't sure she liked the new him. He was overly confident to the point of being arrogant at times and she couldn't even seem to hold a normal conversation with him…_Tripp_, who had been her best friend ever since she could remember…

Halfway through their second week, and after a particularly long, gruelling day of Eevee training, Jay and Rose decided to take a head-clearing stroll around Tarragon City.

"We're doing well!" Jay grinned as he shrugged his jacket on. The September evenings were chilly, despite the warmth they experienced in the day.

Rose gave him a closed smile in return.

"Where do you want to walk?"

"I don't mind…town centre? We can get ice-cream?"

"Sure," Rose shrugged.

"Right, that's it," Jay said sternly, placing his hands on her shoulders. She refused to meet his eyes and so he lifted her chin with his finger. Rose grimaced internally; that action was very reminiscent of someone she was trying very hard not to think about.

"What's up with you?" he asked, gently.

Rose looked into his grey eyes and chewed her lip. He waited patiently for her answer.

"Come with me," she said, grabbing him by the hand and leading him into one of the largest inner-city gardens in Tarragon. She chose a bench under a spreading oak tree and sat down next to him on it.

She took a few deep breaths but remained silent.

"Do you want to talk?"

She considered this for a moment before nodding.

"Okay," he smiled.

"The thing is…I'm not really sure…"

"Where to begin? I say begin at the beginning," Jay offered helpfully, with a grin. Rose looked away from him. Her truthful answer of 'I'm not really sure_ how_ to talk,' would seem somewhat melodramatic if spoken aloud.

She tried to make light of the situation which was getting a little heavy for her liking.

"If I started at the beginning I'd have to go into all my 'daddy issues'," she laughed scathingly.

"So go for it. I too have 'daddy issues' as you call them."

"You do?" Rose asked, interested despite herself.

"Yeah," Jay shrugged, "I think a lot of kids do really…so many dads think it's cool to go off and have fun with their Pokémon…"

Rose gasped. She couldn't believe that Jay could actually relate to her. It was a very strange feeling.

"And then they come back with no money and no job and the mothers have to make ends meet for a while…"

"Your dad came back?" Rose asked, quietly.

Jay scrutinised his friend, she was determinedly looking up at the stars; anywhere but him.

"Yeah," he said softly, "cocked everything up. Lost all the money he brought with him and has spent years working as a gardener to try and pay all his debts…" there was a hard look in Jay's eyes, "but he managed it. In the end."

"Oh," Rose said, refusing to elaborate.

"That didn't happen in your case though, did it?" Jay asked, knowingly, "your dad never came back," this was a statement, not a question. Rose looked at him very hard before she began to speak.

She spoke long into the night until her voice began to croak and the evening stars began to fade as the brash yellow night lights flickered to life around the park. She realised that she had nothing to fear in telling all of this to Jay; about her father, Tripp, nursing - everything. Everything that was on her mind, and that had been making her feel miserable and confused. She felt as though something dark and ugly was making its way slowly out of her, and she knew she didn't have to worry about what Jay thought of her. But why was that? Why did she trust a boy she had only known only a few weeks over the boy she had known her whole life?

"I think there's an easy explanation to that," Jay said seriously as she voiced this concern.

"Oh?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you, so I'll leave it to rest for now," he said wisely.

Rose started at him for a moment before laughing.

"You're such a ponce sometimes."

"Why thank you!" he responded, placing his hand on his heart in an excessively feminine and flamboyant manner.

"Shut up," she laughed, and she hit him lightly on the arm.

Resting her head on his shoulder they sat in comfortable silence for a little while longer, before making their way back to the Laboratory.

As Jay got into bed he smiled to himself, glad he had been able to help. There was an awful lot that Rose had left unsaid throughout her life, and he was certain that had it been left unsaid much longer, she was sure to have cracked.

He felt for her with regards to her father. His and Amy's father returned poor and desolate, but return he did and in due course his genuine remorse enabled his family to forgive him, help him, and get on with their lives. Rose's father however…well. It was like she said; he could be dead for all she knew. Not one word had they heard from him after he left. Jay sighed deeply as he imagined what life would have been like had his father never returned, had they not discovered how sorry he was for leaving them. He could never understand how Rose felt.

Her relationship with Tripp did not surprise him in the slightest. He chuckled to himself as he recalled how red she was when she told him about the events that took place on the mountain. He felt as though Tripp's feelings for Rose were obvious, and yet hers for Tripp were a little more obscure. For what felt like the millionth time that evening Jay wondered why they didn't just get over themselves and make friends again.

"Hormones," he yawned, as he rolled onto his side and fell asleep. He was glad to have helped her, if only a little bit.

**AN:**

**Don't kill me. They just aren't working out! There's too much angst between the pair of them. I sometimes wonder if I should engineer a massive Snorlax to come flying through the air and onto their stubborn little heads to knock some sense into them… (: ah well. We'll see how it goes next chapter.**

**In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed, my pretties! As always, I'd love to hear from you (: it's my birthday on the 11****th****…how about you leave a review as a little gift? (;**

**Lots of love**

**A x**

**P.S: please, please, PLEASE make sure you're reading all chapters in the right order!**


	16. Chapter 16

Rose removed the needle from the scruff of Eevee's neck and interpreted the findings.

"Her somatotropin levels could be lower…but I still don't see why she isn't evolving," she frowned in frustration.

Jay pondered this.

"We _have_ been concentrating solely on training her for quite some time now…maybe we need to make sure we're keeping on top of her happiness levels too?"

"You might be right…but we've already given her two Poffins today, I don't think we should feed her any more…"

"How about we let her play with our Eevees?"

Rose blinked before grinning.

"That's a brilliant idea! Let's go to Tarragon Park, the place is a sun trap!"

Twenty minutes later and the three Eevees were frolicking in the sunlight whilst Rose and Jay watched from a nearby bench.

"This is the life," Jay said, his hands behind his head and his eyes closed to the bright sunlight, "I love how we're technically working."

Rose laughed at her friend before taking a sip from her take-away tea.

"I have to agree with you there," she surveyed the three Pokémon playing on the grass, "I think you were right you know, Eevee's bound to be happiest when playing with its own kind."

Of the three Eevees, Jay's was easily the smallest. Although he had come on a lot in training, it still wasn't his strong point and the Eevee they had worked on together was a lot tougher looking. But even the experimental Eevee was nothing compared to Rose's, however. It was clear that this Eevee had been trained, and trained well. She stood an inch or two taller than the other Eevees and gave off an air of being muscular rather than soft and poochy. Rose smiled as her Eevee's fur glistened in the sun's rays. She went to turn away when she saw that Eevee's fur began to glisten more persistently. She watched open mouthed as her Eevee began to glow a blinding white – slowly at first and then more and more rapidly. Jay, who was still relaxing with his eyes closed started when he felt her hand upon his knee. He looked at her in confusion before following her gaze which was fixed on the three Pokémon. His mouth fell open. Where Rose's Eevee had stood was a majestic, fox-like creature with violet eyes, a forked tail and a red jewel upon its forehead. He had never seen a Pokémon like that before.

"Jay," Rose asked in a remarkably calm voice, "is that mine?"

"What _is_ it?" he gaped.

"I believe," Rose continued (only her eyes, round as saucers, conveyed her shock), "that this is the result when Eevee's evolution is manipulated by the sun."

The Sunlight Pokémon made its way over to them with unnerving grace. It rested its beautiful head in Rose's lap and looked at her imploringly with deep violet eyes.

"You _are_ mine," Rose whispered as she stroked the Pokémon's soft lilac head.

"Espeon," it agreed.

"Espeon," Jay repeated, still not yet over his shock "cool name."

"We have to show the Professor," Rose murmured urgently. People were beginning to look in their direction and she wasn't sure that 'Espeon' should be subjected to the public yet. She was, after all, a ground breaking new discovery. She returned Espeon and the experimental Eevee to their Pokéballs and they made their way back to the Laboratory.

-o-

The Professor was beside himself. He was absolutely bursting with excitement to examine the newly evolved Pokémon, but stopped himself.

"Rose, this 'Espeon' is rightly yours. As you can imagine I am desperate to take a look at her…but she isn't mine to examine."

"I don't mind Professor," Rose said, "you can take a look at her and we can continue training Eevee. At least we know exactly now what we're aiming for!"

The Professor laughed.

"Do you mind, Espeon?" he asked, turning to the Pokémon who was sat on the examining table in the Laboratory Suite. Espeon shook her head happily. Rose smiled as she realised that her Espeon still retained her Eevee's love of attention.

"There is of course the other slight issue," the Professor whispered, "that you might not necessarily have wanted your own Eevee to become an 'Espeon' and yet because of my experiment she has. I would understand if you would rather keep the experimental Eevee for your own and evolve as you wish –"

"Professor!" Rose interrupted in horror, "Espeon is my Pokémon and has been since she hatched! Even if I wasn't completely blown away by the fact she has evolved into something so rare and amazing, I would never give her up!"

The Professor blinked at the intensity in her eyes and chuckled to himself.

"Forgive me," he said, "not being a trainer myself, I sometimes forget the strength of the bond that can form between trainer and Pokémon. If you wouldn't mind leaving Espeon with me for a few hours a day, until the experimental Eevee had also evolved in this way, I would be most grateful."

"Of course," Rose smiled, her indignation forgotten. She made her way over to the examining table to stroke her new, unbelievable Pokémon.

"Professor," she heard Jay asking, "if I wanted my Eevee to evolve in a certain way, would you be able to help me?"

"Of course my dear boy! Was it the power of the sun or the moon that you wish to manipulate?"

"Neither" Jay smiled, "I've always been fascinated by Vaporeon, but I know you need a Water Stone in order to make Eevee evolve that way…" he blushed slightly at his own forwardness.

"My dear boy!" the Professor exclaimed, "you need only have asked! But have you checked your Eevee's somatotropin levels?"

Jay blushed more deeply, unsure how to deliver his answer. Rose helped him out – she knew the Professor wouldn't be judgemental of him.

"Jay doesn't mind if it affects the strength of his Pokémon Professor," she said, "they're his companions."

"You're not a battler?" Professor Willow asked.

Jay shook his head.

"Excellent! You can become a researcher like me!"

Jay's mouth opened and closed again in quick succession.

"No?" Professor Willow probed.

Jay mumbled something under his breath about not being clever enough.

"Pah!" the Professor exclaimed, "intelligence can only get you so far in research my dear chap…do you think this Laboratory came into being merely because I am clever? No. It is the result of effort and passion. If you possess either of these qualities I believe that you, like me, can become an excellent researcher."

Jay was very quiet as he pondered this for a while. He didn't notice the Professor make his way over to one of his many glass cylinders and remove a pale blue crystal. He handed it to Jay who stared from the stone to the Professor.

"Is this for me?"

"Just for you," Professor Willow smiled happily. Anything to do with evolution excited him, so it seemed.

"And I can use it…now?"

"If you so please."

Jay almost dropped his Pokéball in his excitement. His Eevee burst out of the ball in a flash of white light and chirruped happily. Jay tentatively handed Eevee the blue Water Stone and all three watched in wonder as Eevee, like Espeon had earlier that day, began to glow brightly and metamorphose, growing larger and wider until at last a Vaporeon emerged in Eevee's place. Espeon shrieked in delight upon seeing the water Pokémon and jumped down from the examining table and the two proceeded to sniff one another.

"Thank you Professor!" Jay gasped, his eyes wide with joy. His Vaporeon was undeniably smaller and softer looking than Rose's Espeon, but this wasn't an issue for Jay; it was as Rose said, he wasn't interested in the strength of his Pokémon.

"You are most welcome," the Professor smiled.

"Can I go and show Amy?" he asked.

"Vaporeon is yours to do with as you wish," Professor Willow said, his eyes twinkling. As Jay ran out of the lab the Professor turned to Rose.

"I hope you did not take that comment to mean that you cannot do as you wish with your Espeon," he said, his eyes wide with alarm.

Rose laughed merrily.

"I know Professor," she said.

"But for now I would be most grateful if -"

"Professor it's fine!" she laughed again, "she's all yours…for now."

At that moment Jay, accompanied by Amy, came rushing back into the Laboratory Suite.

"Professor," he gasped, "Amy…has always…wanted…a Flareon!"

"Only if that's okay Professor?" she asked, slightly red from her exertion. She gaped at the Espeon that was curled around Rose's legs.

"Wow," she breathed, "she's so beautiful…"

Rose couldn't help but smile at the compliment directed towards her Pokémon.

"Well done Rose," Amy said quietly, "this assignment isn't easy…you both must have worked really hard."

Rose blinked in surprise.

"It's been no picnic," she laughed, touched by Amy's, for once, sincere attitude, "but thank you!"

Amy smiled slightly back at her. Jay coughed slightly at the strange exchange, feeling uncomfortable.

"So you and Jay won," Amy laughed good naturedly, and Rose found herself smiling happily back, "and Tripp and I lost."

The smile fell off Rose's face. Amy grinned smugly at her, but both men seemed oblivious. Rose wasn't entirely sure why, but she knew that something was being insinuated by Amy, something about her and Tripp.

"I need to go and train Eevee some more," Rose said stiffly, "did you fancy coming, Jay?"

Jay opened his mouth but didn't speak.

"It's fine," Rose said, nodding, "you want to play with Vaporeon. I'll see you later."

She walked out of the Laboratory Suite alone.

-o-

Tripp was torn. As soon as Jay had burst into Amy's bedroom, where she and Tripp were measuring their experimental Eevee's somatotropin levels, and told them that Rose's Eevee had evolved, he was desperate to see it - especially as it was essentially the discovery of a new Pokémon. He wasn't even jealous that she and Jay had effectively won the competition. If he was honest with himself, he had also gotten over the fact that Rose had one more Gym badge than him. Again, as usually happened when he wasn't around her, he just wanted to talk to her again.

He thought back to the day before in the garden, when she had given him that odd misty look and advanced towards him before running off. He wondered what on earth she had been thinking. He knew what he _wanted_ her to think…he shook his head. If there was one thing he accepted it was that they weren't going to be together. They couldn't even be friends at the moment for heaven's sake.

He pulled himself out of his reverie and glanced down at the somatotropin level of the experimental Eevee. It still wasn't quite low enough. He stopped short as he realised that Rose's Eevee had obviously been ready to evolve and so maybe…surely…

His own Eevee sat staring up at him from where he was sat at Tripp's feet. Tripp's hands were trembling with excitement. Eevee's levels were so low that there would be no detrimental effect on his development should he manipulate the evolution now…

He glanced over at his desk where the Thunder Stone that Rose insisted he take from her still sat. Eevee's tail began to flick back and forth. He could sense the tension and excitement in his trainer and was wondering what it could mean. Tripp had wanted an electric Pokémon for a long time now. The trouble with Sesame was that electric Pokémon were incredibly rare…and here now was the perfect opportunity. He considered the new Pokémon that Rose had helped to discover and too considered that another was going to be discovered imminently…but he truly wasn't interested. He had always wanted an electric Pokémon and now he could have one. He took a deep breath before handing Eevee to stone and sitting back to watch the evolution.

-o-

Rose trained Eevee hard for all of the afternoon and into the early evening. She was sweating freely, despite the fact that the night was growing chilly. She found that only through training or studying could she completely empty her mind of unpleasant thoughts. She couldn't quite shake Amy's comment, even though she was aware that it was highly unlikely that anything was actually meant by it. She told herself that she didn't know why it bothered her so much if Amy liked to imply that she and Tripp _were_ an item. This is what she told herself, but deep inside of her she thought she might know why it bothered her so much, and it scared her.

And so Rose worked at her training until she was bone tired. Eevee on the other hand grew more and more invigorated throughout the training session and Rose, realising what this meant, decided to stop and monitor Eevee's somatotropin levels. She smiled as she read the figures it shouldn't be long now…

She groaned inwardly as she noticed the sky for the first time. It had turned a dark inky blue and the stars were starting to make an appearance. As curious as she was to discover what the Moonlight Pokémon looked like, she wasn't about to show off and steal Tripp and Amy's thunder. Well…Amy she didn't care too much about but Tripp –

She stopped her thought process short and began to pack her rucksack before making her way back to the Laboratory moodily.

-o-

The other three were chatting merrily as she slouched into the dining hall for dinner. She muttered "Hello," in response to their greetings and proceeded to help herself to noodles.

"How's Eevee?" Jay asked. He was still in a very good mood after getting his Vaporeon.

"Strong," Rose replied bluntly, "I think we might be ready tomorrow afternoon."

"I hear congratulations are in order," Tripp said to her quietly from his seat opposite her.

Rose looked up from her plate and met his eyes.

"Thank you," she smiled. He smiled back and her heart began to race. Flushing, she looked back at her noodles. She couldn't deny that his reaction surprised her – where was the usual jealously?

"Our Eevee's getting there," Tripp said conversationally, helping himself to more pork, "a couple more nights should do it I think."

"Ooh really?" Amy asked.

"Yes Amy," Tripp said, rolling his eyes, "perhaps if you actually helped you'd have more of an idea of what stage we're at."

The table went quiet. Tripp immediately felt guilty. He hadn't intended that his comment sound so cutting. Upon catching sight of Rose, however, whose full lips were twitching as she started determinedly at her plate, Tripp could hardly contain his own laughter.

"Sorry. Excuse me," he managed to choke out before running from the room. Rose attempted to take a deep breath and compose herself, but looking up at Amy's red, gobsmacked face she couldn't help it and, without excusing herself, too ran from the dining hall. In the corridor outside she caught sight of Tripp who was wiping the silent tears of laughter from his eyes. Seeing him in this state, she couldn't hold it in any longer and cackled loudly. Tripp, spotting her, clamped his hand over her mouth and the two of them shook with silent laughter, tears streaming down their faces.

Try as they might they could not stop laughing and, feeling as though he was about to burst, Tripp took Rose by the hand and the two of them ran through the corridor and out into grounds before collapsing onto one another and howling with suppressed laughter.

"I don't…even know," Rose gasped, "why I'm laughing…so hard!" she managed.

"Me neither!" Tripp spluttered. In all honesty he felt rather giddy. The combination of holding in his laughter so long and Rose's warm weight in his arms was making his heart hammer. Still chuckling they turned to face one another. They both became aware that Tripp's arms were around her waist. He looked at her flushed cheeks and dancing brown eyes and couldn't help himself. He crushed her to him and kissed her hungrily. To his relief she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back just as desperately. It was madness, they both realised, to behave like this. Neither of them really knew what they were thinking or feeling, let alone what the other was. She smiled against his lips as she felt his hands brush against the inch of exposed skin at her waist. He pulled her even tighter against him and she gasped as she registered what was pressing into her leg…

What they were doing finally hit her and she tore herself away from him, feeling cold all over. Tripp stared at her in confusion, his lips swollen and his eyes hazy.

"Rose," he began; the look in her eyes was scaring him. He reached out for her hand.

"Not now, Tripp," she whispered. He had never seen her look so vulnerable.

"What?" he asked stupidly, "what do you mean?"

"It's not right," she continued to whisper, wringing her hands together.

"But –"

"Tripp we've barely spoken for weeks…" she began. She trailed off as she looked into his blue eyes once more. How she'd missed them.

"But I -"

"You what?" she asked, pressing her fingers to her temples and squeezing her eyes shut. She was terrified at how easily she could lose herself, rip down any boundaries where he was concerned.

When he didn't answer she looked at him once again. His eyes were blazing as he stared at her. He opened his mouth to speak but she knew that she couldn't, that she shouldn't hear it.

"Please don't," she whispered, her voice shaking. He went to speak again but she held a finger to his lips. She couldn't get rid of the icy, queasiness in her stomach.

"Let's be friends," she said, her hands shaking, "let's please just be friends instead."

He managed to nod, his heart still beating painfully in his chest. He didn't just want her as a friend, he didn't. But he found himself agreeing with her meekly. He continued to watch her in silence as she smoothed down her hair and her jumper, before giving him a small smile and walking back into the building.

-o-

Tripp met Amy outside the front doors of the Laboratory at midnight as they usually did.

"Hey, I'm sorry about earlier," he said, "I didn't mean it like that."

Amy wanted to be mad, and knew that she shouldn't give in so easily…but he was just so _hot_.

"I know you didn't," she heard herself saying, "don't worry about it."

Her insides squirmed as he grinned at her and pushed his floppy dark hair from his eyes.

"Let's start training again," he said, "I very much doubt Eevee will evolve tonight but I would definitely like it to tomorrow night."

Amy simply yawned. They hadn't slept very long today because Tripp wanted to get further ahead with their experiment. That combined with the excitement from all the 'Eeveelutions', as the Professor fondly referred to them, had made for quite a draining day.

Tripp surveyed her.

"You know, I really don't mind doing the training on my own if you want to get an earlier night?"

Amy was torn. She loved spending the extra time alone with Tripp and watching him get caught up in the training, but she was also really tired and couldn't look too great. The horror of Tripp seeing her looking unattractive far outweighed her pleasure at spending time with him. She smiled at him guiltily.

Once she had gone back in the Laboratory Tripp breathed a sigh of relief. After what had happened with Rose earlier he couldn't really bear to be in Amy's company. It was all too obvious how she felt about him, and where it normally flattered him to the point where he might give the occasional bit of false encouragement, tonight he just wasn't interested. He really needed some time to think.

Making his way to one of Tarragon's many parks, Tripp proceeded to train the Eevee.

-o-

Rose had been right, Jay thought with admiration. They had hardly been training for half an hour the following morning when, after a pink Poffin or two, their experimental Eevee, like Rose's before it, began to metamorphose in the rays of the blinding sunlight.

Despite already having seen the Sunlight Pokémon, both Jay and Rose were speechless at its beauty and rarity.

"I wonder what type it is," Jay murmured as they watched the Espeon step delicately over the grass towards them.

Rose looked at him in surprise, she couldn't believe she hadn't even thought of that.

"I have no idea!" she pondered this for a moment, "I would say she looks like a normal type, maybe? But judging from the fact that it was the sunlight that made her evolve I would assume, logically, that she's…fire type?" Rose frowned. She couldn't make any sense of it.

"But that can't be right," said Jay, "we know what Eevee looks like when its evolution is manipulated by a Fire Stone…"

"And what on earth type would that make the Moonlight Pokémon?"

They sat in silence, stumped as they continued to watch Espeon.

"Well," Rose said after a while, "I guess our job here is done."

She smiled sadly at Jay. Although her time at the Laboratory had been far from pleasant the whole time, she couldn't deny that she was going to miss the experience, and of course, Jay.

"Let's give this Espeon to the Professor, and get yours back," Jay grinned, offering her a hand up from the bench.

-o-

"Psychic?" Rose breathed in fascination.

Professor Willow nodded happily.

"Oh yes, just as I expected!"

"Wow," Jay managed, clearly impressed.

"Do you have any idea what type the Moonlight Pokémon will be?" Rose asked.

"Oh, well, I have my suspicions," Professor answered happily, "and, not to blow my own horn, but my suspicions do tend to be correct."

Rose's lip twitched at his lack of modesty.

"So she's all mine now?"

"All yours," the Professor smiled, stroking the new Espeon which chirruped happily.

Rose suddenly felt rather awkward.

"Professor, I just…for this opportunity…I want to thank –"

"Don't speak too soon, child," he smiled mysteriously, "for now I only wish that you clean up your findings in order to present them at the dinner, and of course, enjoy what's left of the autumn sunshine."

Rose frowned slightly, but smiled at the old man nonetheless.

"Thank you Professor."

"Tripp tells me that he is certain his Eevee will evolve tonight; I have therefore scheduled the ball and dinner for the weekend."

"Which day?"

"Saturday."

"Is that the first of October?"

"It is," Professor Willow confirmed.

"That's Tripp's birthday," Rose mused as her and Jay left the Laboratory.

"Are you going to get him a present?" Jay asked slyly.

"Of course," Rose said, unthinkingly.

Jay's eyes widened in surprise; he was unaware of the…'development' in their relationship.

"Got anything in mind?"

She shook her head slowly. What _was _she going to buy him? She blushed as her thoughts unwilling strayed to the previous evening.

"Rose?" Jay asked knowingly.

She blushed even more deeply when she realised that Jay wasn't completely oblivious to her and Tripp.

"It's nothing," she said, far too quickly.

"Sure," he grinned sarcastically.

Rose chose to ignore him.

"So…I'm going to town with Bianca this afternoon," it was Jay's turn to blush, "do you fancy coming?"

Rose stared at him incredulously.

"Come with you? On your first date?"

Jay nodded.

"But…why?!"

Jay gave a half shrug. Rose peered up at him.

"Are you nervous?"

He bit his lower lip worriedly and avoided her eyes.

Rose laughed at him.

"What's to be nervous about?" she laughed, "you've asked her to town and she's agreed! That's the worst bit over! She _wants_ to go out with you!"

Jay murmured incoherently.

"What do you mean 'asking's the easy bit'?" Rose shook her head at her friend, "You're a nutter."

Jay sighed deeply.

"So, will you come?"

Rose screwed up her nose.

"I'm perfectly happy to come…but don't you think Bianca'll be annoyed?"

"I doubt it, I reckon she must be shyer than me," he allowed himself a small smile, "she almost scalded herself when I asked her - dropped the coffee pot she was holding."

Rose grinned as she winked at him, "Another hopeless case; you sound perfect for one another."

She linked her arm through Jay's affectionately as they made their way to the dining hall for lunch.

-o-

Pascalia ran her slim, white fingers over the rock face of Dill Rook. The stone sealing the entrance was incredibly smooth and shiny, clearly the result of an immensely strong fire type attack.

She gasped as the crystal underneath her dress burned white hot. It didn't burn her skin however, and once she had gotten used to the sensation she realised that she rather enjoyed it. She now could sense rather than hear the Dragon Pokémon incarcerated on the other side of the mountain's sealed stone entrance. Her amber eyes widened in wonder as she felt emotions that weren't her own; anger, frustration, and a little fear and hopelessness. She knew, without knowing how, that these were the feelings of the Garchomp, and she became all the more determined to release them from their prison.

"Soon," she whispered in the ancient language, positive that the Pokémon could both hear and understand her. Excitement began to pulse through her veins as she realised that her dream was ever closer to being realised. Strangely, the excitement didn't make her feel make her feel hot, but cold. It was as though the rush of blood in her veins had become reptilian as opposed to mammalian. It was, however, no less exhilarating. With these Garchomp alongside her, she knew that she would be the most powerful. With the Draco Silicis she knew that Clair and Lance's Pokémon would have no option but to obey only her. And she knew that revenge would be sweet, and that Lance would be hers.

Invigorated she made her way back to the camp, determined to undertake the next task the following week.

-o-

Tripp checked his watch moodily. It was twenty past eight the following night, and he and Amy had agreed to meet at eight. He really wanted to finish the experiment tonight; he assumed that he and Rose would be back on the road afterwards…alone.

He huffed to himself. Tempting though it was to just go and finish the experiment alone, he knew that he couldn't take all the glory himself.

"Even though I've done all the work," he grumbled to himself. He made his way grumpily back into the Laboratory and up the sweeping staircase to the girls' wing. He knocked on Amy's door, but there was no answer. He moved across the hallway to Rose and Amy's shared bathroom where he could hear the shower running. He knocked loudly on the door.

"Amy?" he called irritably, "is that you?"

He heard the shower turn off.

"Yeah!" she replied, "what is it?"

Tripp glowered at the bathroom door.

"You do realise we were supposed to meet -" he checked his watch again, "about half an hour ago?"

There was silence from behind the door.

"Well can you wait a little?"

"How long?" Tripp asked through gritted teeth.

"Ooh, another half hour?"

Tripp took a very deep breath.

"Amy," he said, "I don't have time to wait for you to shower."

There was further silence. Amy was obviously aware of his wrath.

"Oh. Okay. Well, you go on your own…you know…if you don't mind?"

"Fine by me!" he replied sarcastically, turning to leave. He shook his head incredulously as he heard her turn the shower turn back on.

-o-

"Have a lovely time!" Rose called as she separated from Jay and Bianca that evening. Both were furiously red, but smiling nonetheless.

Rose chuckled to herself as she left them to their dinner out. She had had a pleasant afternoon and evening, wandering around the shops. She hadn't managed to find Tripp a birthday present however. Despite the enormity of Tarragon City, she just couldn't seem to find anything appropriate.

As she made her solitary way back to the Laboratory, she thought she heard noises coming from the usually quiet Tarragon Park. Peering through the wrought iron railings, she saw Tripp training his Eevee furiously, and apparently alone. Making up her mind, Rose entered the park and made her way slowly over to him so as not to disturb him.

She stopped several meters behind him and watched for a while. He hadn't noticed she was there. She could tell that the Eevee was very well trained, and must have been on the brink of evolution. She looked skyward and saw that the moon was full and was bathing the park with an almost eerie, cold brightness.

"Come on Eevee," Tripp was saying to the Pokémon, "keep going."

The Eevee was panting from exertion, but looked content. Excited though she was to see yet another brand new Pokémon, Rose couldn't seem to keep her eyes off Tripp. She realised that she mustn't have properly looked at him in a good while. If she hadn't spent the past few weeks mainly ignoring him completely, or either glaring him fiercely in the eye, she would have perhaps noted the changes. His hair, which had always been on the floppy side, was falling messily into his eyes, and he had to keep brushing it back with his hand. She wasn't sure if it was simply a lack of spending time with him, but he seemed much taller to her than she previously remembered. He had always been tanned, but she couldn't help noticing, with a slight jerking in her stomach, that the muscles in his arms were more defined than ever, and were straining against the sleeve of his t-shirt. She cursed herself for thinking that she didn't blame Amy's attitude one little bit.

Tripp turned swiftly around, he had the sensation of eyes on the back of him. He blinked in surprise to see Rose standing, apparently staring at him.

"Hello," he smiled, brushing his hair out of his eyes again, "what're you doing here?"

"I heard you training from the path and came to watch," she said truthfully.

"Came to gloat more like," Tripp said, but his eyes were smiling.

Rose laughed, it had been a while since she had felt this comfortable around Tripp; for once their joking was malice free and natural.

"Ah Tripp," she said solemnly, "when will you learn that I always win?"

Tripp noticed that her eyes were dancing, and that she was teasing him; it had been a while since she had last done that.

"I'm not too far off now, I don't reckon," he said, glancing at the Eevee, "and technically, if Eevee evolves tonight – we tie," he grinned.

"And how did you figure that one out?" Rose retorted, her eyebrow raised in mock arrogance.

"Well, we were given the assignment in the daytime, so technically you were already a day ahead of me when we began."

Rose laughed again – he was essentially right.

"But that's 'if'," she said, her lips twitching, "good luck."

She made to leave the park.

"Wait –" he said.

She turned around and looked at him levelly.

"Yes?"

"I thought you might stay," he said, casually, "you know…to sabotage me, perhaps?"

He smiled at her slightly, his blue eyes twinkling.

Rose looked at him levelly.

"Only to sabotage?"

"What else?"

She smirked as she put down her bag and tied her long hair back in a ponytail. The late September evenings were growing colder and colder and, like Tripp, she decided to put on her jacket. Rose did a double take. There, glinting on Tripp's jacket was an amethyst badge.

She moved slowly towards him and touched the badge gently.

"You beat Callisto?"

Tripp nodded.

"Piece of cake," he said sarcastically, his lips twitching. Rose returned his smile.

"When?" she asked simply.

"Earlier this afternoon," he replied. Rose nodded slowly.

"You too learned to discipline your mind then?" she asked, grinning.

Tripp, to her surprise, nodded curtly, and looked away from her, turning red.

Rose's heart began to pump painfully, although she wasn't sure why.

"Did you want to help? Or are you happy to watch?" Tripp asked, gesturing towards the Eevee.

Rose blinked at the abrupt change in conversation.

"I, er –"

"You don't have to! I know you're finished, I just thought –"

"Of course I want to help," she said briskly to mask her embarrassment and awkwardness, "what can I do?"

Tripp realised she was avoiding his eye but didn't let himself be bothered by it. Instead, he designated to her what would normally have been Amy's task, and they got to work. It didn't take long. They stood side by side, panting slightly from their exertion in the cold, bright air and watched as Eevee's form began to shift and change, glowing more brightly than the moon above it.

"Umbreon," it finally growled.

Rose took Tripp's hand and squeezed it.

The Moonlight Pokémon paused to sniff the ground at its feet before walking, cat-like, over to where the teenagers stood.

"It's incredible," Tripp whispered.

"I wonder what type it is?" Rose whispered back. They couldn't help but feel that the situation called for whispering. This magical, new Pokémon, paired with the ethereal moon rays made for a very awe-inspiring situation.

"I don't know," Tripp whispered; he was all too aware that she had not yet released his hand.

**AN:**

**I'm so, so sorry for the wait on this chapter! I will admit that the first couple of weeks were laziness (I'm terribly lazy) but then my laptop broke and wifi freaked out so…there you have it XD As you may have deduced in this chapter, Tripp is getting a lot better at controlling himself, hence why he was finally able to beat Callisto. I hope you enjoyed and will update much sooner next time ;) Although I'd be much more motivated with a few more reviews :P**

**Love A x**


	17. Chapter 17

Despite the lateness of the evening, Rose and Tripp sprinted back to the Laboratory, so eager were they to learn more about this new and magical Pokémon. To their delight, the Professor was in the Laboratory Suite, albeit in his thick violet dressing gown and slippers.

"You've done it?" he whispered, taking their flushed faces and elated facial expressions into account. Tripp nodded and Rose stood back. This was his moment. She realised, with a rush of pride for him, that his success was perhaps more impressive than hers for, with Amy as a partner, he may as well have conducted the whole experiment alone.

"Let it out, let it out," the Professor muttered in an almost feverish excitement. Umbreon appeared in a flash of light from the Pokéball and the Professor reached out to stroke it with a shaking hand.

"Unbelievable," he croaked and Umbreon closed its eyes in enjoyment of the petting.

"What type is it?" Tripp asked.

"Dark," the Professor replied simply.

"Dark?" Rose repeated, looking at Tripp in awe.

"Yes, a most rare type it is true, although it is not a type we humans are completely ignorant of. Why, one of Sesame's own Elite Four happens to be a trainer of dark type Pokémon."

Rose and Tripp remained in stunned silence.

"Now," The Professor said sharply, back to business, "tomorrow is Friday and the whole Laboratory will be busy in preparation for Saturday's big event. I would prefer it if the four of you remained out of the building. I have looked over your project files, and I must say they are highly sufficient for study by other professionals. Therefore, no further work needs to be done on your part," he beamed at them, "however, and this is a very important note, you must very much look the part on Saturday evening."

Rose and Tripp exchanged confused glances.

"Your attire must be appropriate for such an event, as should your conduct. I know that you were travelling before you undertook my assignment and I therefore do not expect you to have any evening wear in those rucksacks of yours. I must ask, however, that you purchase some. Of course, let me know if you do not have the funds," he added generously, "I wish you to look the part mainly for your own sake, but also because part of the event will be aired on television," he chuckled at their stunned expressions, "this is a very big discovery – it's going to be famous and therefore you will be too."

-o-

Jack sat at the scrubbed, wooden table, miserably stirring his cornflakes so that they now resembled a bowl of orange mush. He looked up at the fridge where the picture of the missing Pascalia was pinned and huffed moodily to himself.

Farfetch'd had still not been found. It had been over three weeks now and the strain was beginning to show on the faces of Sam and Damien, his two eldest brothers. The stack of Pokéballs that they had made throughout the year was slowly getting smaller and smaller, and without Farfetch'd to help them gather more apricorns and actually create the balls, they were soon to be without any produce, and therefore without any money. Will, the brother closest in age to him, was becoming relentless. He missed being able to eat what he wanted when he wanted, and resented having to search for Farfetch'd when he believed it to be solely Jack's fault that the Pokémon had gone missing in the first place. Sam, who at first would reprimand Will for upsetting their youngest brother, had desisted, and Jack couldn't help but feel that his oldest brother too was beginning to resent him. Only Damien seemed to understand how hard it was for Jack. Obviously he too was missing the slightly more comfortable lifestyle they enjoyed when money wasn't becoming an issue, but he also seemed to accept that it was not Jack's fault and that the same would have happened to any of them. However, the fact that their frequent sightings of the bird Pokémon did not mean its recapture was any more imminent served only to lower their spirits rather than bolster them.

Jack sighed and scraped his cornflake mulch into the bin. He grimaced as he saw it splattered on top of the other rubbish and realised he was probably going to be given a lecture about wasting food that they did not have. Making his way back to his bedroom, he scowled at the picture of Pascalia (who he secretly liked to blame for his misfortune) and kicked the kitchen door on his way out.

Not long after, Sam and Damien entered through the back door. The last days of September were always muggy in the forest and it was with difficulty that they removed their heavy boots and shrugged out of their checked jackets.

"Well," said Sam grimly, "I'd like to say we're closer to catching him…"

"But we're not," Damien finished, opening the fridge and taking out the remains of the previous night's chicken which he proceeded to make into sandwiches for himself and his older brother. Sam lit the fire and the small wooden cabin was bathed in warmth and light.

"I think you need to talk to Jack," Damien said conversationally, pouring two glasses of milk from the jug.

Sam merely grunted.

"You agreed on the day it happened that it wasn't his fault, I don't get what's made you change your mind?"

"I haven't changed my mind," Sam muttered, "I'm just annoyed with our situation is all."

"Well, I'm pretty sure Jack thinks you're annoyed with him," Damien said lightly, stirring chocolate powder into his milk and taking a large bite of his chicken sandwich.

Sam gave a non-committal shrug and too began to eat his lunch.

Ten minutes later Will stomped into the cabin, shaking his sandy blond hair, which all four brothers shared, out of his eyes.

"No luck," he said, not that his brothers asked; they had long given up holding onto hope.

"We'll figure out how to catch him," Damien said optimistically, "it might just be that he's still in shock from his proximity to the Dragon Pokémon."

Sam's grey-green eyes narrowed with worry.

"If he doesn't calm down soon I'm not entirely sure how we're going to survive this winter."

Damien bit his lip and attempted to tune out of the unpleasant conversation. His trained eyes rested again on the picture of Pascalia. He smiled to himself; really there was nothing like a pretty girl to take his mind off things.

-o-

As the made their way upstairs to bed they paused on the landing that separated the East from the West wing.

"That was a good evening," Tripp said softly, looking into her eyes.

Rose couldn't help but smile back at him.

"I thought so too," she said. Her breath caught and her stomach flipped as their eyes locked.

"Goodnight," Tripp smiled quietly, before making his way to his bedroom.

Rose was left standing there feeling wrong-footed. She felt rather cold all of a sudden. She was sure he was going to kiss her. She was also sure that had he _wanted_ to kiss her, he wouldn't have hesitated. Feeling both miserable and irritated with herself for being so, she made her way to her bedroom and slammed the door a little more forcefully than was necessary.

Tripp shut his own bedroom door and felt rather pleased with himself. It had taken a lot of self-restraint to walk away from her then, but that was what she wanted - for them to be friends. As kissable as her lips were, she was much easier to have as a friend than a potential girlfriend.

"If it's going to happen, it'll happen," he murmured sleepily to himself before falling on top of his bed, fully dressed, exhausted from the day's events.

-o-

Rose couldn't help but feel slightly confused by Tripp's sunny mood the following morning at breakfast, which was a rushed affair due to the ball preparations.

"I can't believe we did it!" he beamed at the three of them whilst shovelling toast into his mouth. Rose raised her eyebrows; he didn't even seem to be acknowledging that Amy had done next to nothing.

"It was mainly you," Amy piped up for him, blushing slightly.

"Ah Amy," he said, giving her a one-armed hug from here he was sat by her, Rose gave an involuntary twitch, "you did your bit!" Amy smiled happily.

"Shall we all go out to lunch?" he suggested, "it's the first fully free day in weeks!"

Amy and Jay agreed and Rose found herself walking with the three of them out of the Laboratory and into the sunny, yet cold, cobbled streets of Tarragon City.

"We also need to rent tuxedos, Jay," Tripp said, frowning, "unless you already have one?"

"Nah," Jay replied, wrapping his coat tighter around his middle, "I need to get one. Shall we get a haircut too?"

Rose blinked in surprise. She had never imagined that boys would get so worked up for a ball.

"Ooh yes, I need to get my hair done!" Amy said, patting her reddish-blond strands.

"Shall we all go then?" Jay smiled, excited at the prospect of a day trip.

Rose merely shrugged.

-o-

"You have lovely hair," the hairdresser gasped as he ran his fingers through Rose's long shiny locks.

"Thanks," Rose said feeling uncomfortable. She had never been to a hairdresser before, her mother had always cut her hair at home.

"How much do you want off?"

Rose surveyed herself in the mirror. Since she had left Chicory Town her hair had grown a good half foot in length. Although her hair had never been this long, falling heavily to her waist, she realised that she really quite liked it.

"I don't really want it cut," she said.

"Oh," the hairdresser said, sounding disappointed, "how about a wash and blow dry?"

Feeling as though it would be unnecessarily rude to say no, Rose found herself agreeing.

Over an hour later the four emerged from the hairdresser. Rose was not overly thrilled with her hair, which the hairdresser had teased into curls far tighter than she usually wore them. The result was that her hair had sprung fuzzily up a good few inches, and she couldn't wait to get back and re-do it herself.

Jay looked nice, she had to admit. His blond hair, which had been bordering on shaggy, had been neatly clipped which made him look much older. Amy had gone for a short bob, and her reddish blond hair was now – red. Rose blinked.

"I fancied a change," she grinned, checking her reflection in the nearest shop window. Rose couldn't help but feel irritated as she saw Tripp looking at Amy appreciatively. Rose conceded to herself, with irritation, that Amy did look better with this new startling hair, much less washed out than the strawberry blond made her appear. Tripp, like Rose, did not appear to have had any length off – or very little. His hair, which always had a floppy quality to it was now looking very sleek. Rose had never really liked boys with long hair but she couldn't deny, with a traitorous blush, that it suited him, and very well.

"Shall we go and choose our outfits?" Tripp said excitedly. Rose raised an eyebrow at him, she had never before known him to be excited over clothes. This ball was pretty exciting though, and they were playing a very important part in it…and they were to be on television! Rose began to feel some of the contagious excitement. Her spirits sank however, when she caught sight of her stupid, short, and slightly frizzy, hair in another shop window. She shoved it up in a bun. People really didn't know how to manage curls, she thought sullenly to herself.

They decided to get the boys' outfits done first. Rose, who decided her bun looked almost as stupid as her hair generally, had bullied it into a long plait and kept her hat on the whole while Jay and Tripp modelled suits and tuxedos for her and Amy. Amy was very joyful, and kept up a stream of chatter, laughing loudly when Jay and Tripp emerged from the dressing room in matching ironically white tuxedos. Rose was unable to laugh at their antics – partly because of the huge mirror that served as a permanent reminder as to her ridiculous hair, and partly because of the new way that Tripp was looking at Amy. Rose glanced sideways at her. It was true that the new hair was a vast improvement, but past that, what could he see? Rose flushed at her own cruelty and vanity and deliberately did not look at either Tripp or Amy, but tried valiantly to join in with the fun and games. It was difficult, when her eyes kept being drawn to Tripp whom, she hated to admit, looked very good in his tuxedo. His brown skin and blue eyes were very stark in contrast to the simple black and white and, attractive though Jay undeniably was, he didn't quite suit the tux in the way that Tripp did.

Rose crossed her arms and huffed, staring determinedly at the plush, carpeted floor.

"My God, look at the time!" Tripp exclaimed, glancing at his watch, "It's gone one! Shall we get some food?"

The four of them finally exited the shop, the two boys laden with expensive boutique bags.

-o-

Jay couldn't help but notice Rose's subdued silence over lunch. Nor could he help but notice the scathing looks she was shooting his twin. He poked her leg under the table and she snapped out of her reverie to glance at him. She smiled, embarrassed at being discovered, and continued to eat her spaghetti. Amy and Tripp were laughing together, about what she didn't know. Rose moodily toyed with her food and wondered if she was jealous…or paranoid. There was no reason Tripp should fancy Amy just because she'd changed her _hair_. After all, before they arrived here, Rose had never really seen Tripp interact with any girls except for her. Maybe he'd be like this with every girl? She pushed her bowl away, not feeling particularly hungry.

"You two aren't allowed to come when we try on dresses," she heard Amy laugh to the boys.

"Why not?!" Tripp asked in mock indignation.

"We have to shock you with our beauty," she giggled, "when we open the ball."

"Open the ball?" Jay asked, frowning.

"Yeah, I heard the Professor saying to the housekeeper – that's why we have to have really nice dresses, because we have to lead the dancing, and all eyes will be on us."

"So you're my partner?" Tripp guessed, "'Cus we worked together?"

"Yep," Amy said happily, taking another bite of her panini.

Rose's stomach plummeted a little further. She loved Jay, very much so, but couldn't deny that she wanted to dance with Tripp in his tuxedo, to see his eyes shine as they used to when he looked at her, before they'd ever come here…

_Why on earth did his liking me used to get my back up?_ She thought, half miserably, half angrily.

"Right," Amy said after they'd paid for their food, "why don't you two go and hang out with your Pokémon in Tarragon Park or something, and we'll go shopping!" she said, gesturing at Rose who, in forcing herself to smile back, only managed a sort of odd grimace. The two pairs parted and Rose slouched unhappily along beside Amy who was jabbering non-stop about how she had more options for dress colours now with her new hair.

"I mean, I used to always wear purple, but I now get that it _really_ didn't go with my hair…I guess I _could _wear it now, but I'd _love_ a red dress…ah well! My hair's red enough!" she laughed. Rose smiled a fraction too late, not realising she'd finally stopped gabbling.

"What colour dresses are you going to try on?"

Rose felt the beginnings of horror at the idea of trying on a dress with her hair in this state. She realised, in slight shock, that she'd actually become rather vain since living in Tarragon City, but it was too late now. Especially after what she'd seen with Tripp, there was no way in hell she wanted Amy to see her looking bad.

"I actually already have a dress," she lied, cursing herself.

"You have? What colour?"

"Er – it's a surprise!" Rose answered, lamely.

"Well, you can help me choose!" Amy said, linking her arm. Rose glanced at her and realised she had liked her a lot better when she thought she was uglier.

"Well, actually, I was going to go and look for a birthday present for Tripp…"

Amy smacked her hand to her forehead.

"It's tomorrow isn't it? Right. Well, we'll look for dresses first, and then we can find him presents together!"

Rose sighed.

-o-

Two and half hours, three rather dowdy shops, and about thirty dresses later, Amy had finally made her decision.

Rose couldn't deny that for Amy's rather horrendous dress sense, the dress she had selected wasn't too bad, albeit rather boring. It was black for a start. The A-line, poofy, netted skirt reached just below her knees and the bodice was tight with off shoulder sleeves. It didn't sit particularly well against her milky white skin or her now flame-red hair, but it was certainly better, not to mention far more flattering, than the vast majority of others she had tried on.

"I think it'll look really good with my pink neon high heels!" Amy gushed, as she and Rose left the shop.

Rose pulled a face at the proposed image, but luckily Amy didn't notice.

"At least tell me the colour of your dress, Rose," she whined playfully, "oh no! It's not black is it?"

"It's not," Rose managed to smile, "and you'll have to see it tomorrow!"

They wandered through the Tarragon City's high street, now attempting to look for a present for Tripp. Rose couldn't help but feel irritated by her shopping companion. She would like to look by herself really, so as not to feel under any pressure. She sighed. She also now had the problem of finding a dress with nobody noticing. Maybe if she slipped out early the next morning…but all of the shops they had been into were really not to her taste. She began to chew her lower lip in panic.

"Ooh how cute!" Amy exclaimed, pausing outside a sweet shop. There in the window was a large slab of heart-shaped chocolate. For two extra Pokéloans you could have the message of your choice iced onto it.

"Shall I get him one? Is it 'too much'?" she inquired.

Rose started to seethe. Did Amy have no shame? She tried not to think about the looks Tripp had been throwing her all day, and forced any thoughts that he might relish a chocolate heart from Amy from her mind.

"Sure," she said through gritted teeth, "I'm sure he'll love it."

They left the shop, Amy happily clutching her 'Happy Birthday Tripp!' chocolate heart.

To Rose's anguish Amy did not leave her now that she had bought everything she needed to. On the contrary, she was completely focused on Rose now that she had finished her own shopping and kept suggesting ridiculous gifts from Pokédolls to handkerchiefs and flowers.

Rose, who had been ignoring her for the best part of half an hour, stopped dead in front of a shop window. Amy looked up at the sign. It was a high-tech Pokégadget shop. She pulled a face, but looked back as she saw Rose's face light up. Of course this would be the sort of shop that Tripp would love, him being so into his battling. She followed Rose into the shop and stood awkwardly next to her as she questioned the shopkeeper about the newest item in the window.

"The Experience Point Leveller?" the assistant enquired, "ooh yes, veery useful little gadget this one. Let's you predict exactly when your Pokémon's going to evolve."

Rose's eyes widened; she was impressed.

"It also measures things like happiness and stats, so you can really get a solid grounding in where you're going right and wrong."

"How much is it?" Rose asked; she knew she'd found the perfect present.

"Only two hundred and twenty five Pokéloans!"

-o-

Rose left the shop in a bad mood. There was the perfect gift, and there was no way she could afford it.

"Why don't you just get the Pokédoll?" Amy asked.

Rose was beginning to develop a painful throbbing above her right eye. She was also very cold.

"I think I'm just going to go back," she said, "I'll get him something tomorrow."

"Oh, okay," Amy said very breezily. Rose looked at her questioningly.

"I think I'm gonna keep shopping," she said, "maybe buy a new perfume."

"O…kay?"

"You don't have to come," she said rather quickly.

Rose raised her eyebrows but didn't complain. She had not relished Amy's leech-like attitude all day.

"See you later!" Amy yelled as she sauntered back into town. Rose shrugged as she made her solitary way back to the Laboratory. She could really do with a cup of tea and a lie down.

-o-

"It feels good to be back in a city" Hielo muttered to Ledus as they made their way through the darkening streets of Tarragon.

Ledus nodded in agreement. Not that he would have dared mention it to Pascalia, but Dill Woods gave him the creeps – all that gloom and mist.

"Hey, look at this," Ledus said, stopping in front of a lamppost to which a poster was pinned. Hielo looked over his shoulder.

"A ball?" he said blankly.

"Yeah, but look at the venue…"

"_Tarragon Laboratory_," Hielo mouthed, his eyebrows raised.

"It's tomorrow," Ledus said, checking the date on his watch.

"Do you reckon the Lab will be easier to break into during this ball?!"

"Surely it must be…according to the blueprints the ballroom is on the floor below the Laboratory Suite and in the opposite wing…"

"And I doubt anyone will be in the lab itself when this ball thing is on…" Hielo smiled.

"It begins at eight," Ledus said, squinting at the small print.

"Let's go and tell her."

Moving into a side street they released a Fearow and a Swellow and began the long, chilly flight East.

-o-

"Hello?" Rose responded to the knock on her bedroom door.

Jay walked in and closed it behind him.

"Hey, where were you at dinner?"

"I wasn't hungry," she said truthfully. She sat up from where she had been lying on her bed and marked her place in the book on Pokémon Anatomy which she had taken from the Library.

"You didn't miss much – they're too busy preparing for tomorrow…Pokémon Anatomy?" he asked, catching sight of the volume, "you into Pokémon Medicine?"

Rose gave a half shrug.

"My mum's a nurse and I used to work with her a lot… I just find these books interesting, I mean, there's so much more to Pokémon Medicine than nursing alone."

Jay looked impressed. He picked up the book and leafed through it; his expression turned to one of horror.

"How can you even understand this?!"

Rose laughed.

"None of the terms are that new to me I guess, and I find it interesting which is another bonus."

Jay replaced the book on her bedside table and gave her a look which clearly meant he thought her mentally unstable.

"Are you all right?" she asked, getting up to select a jumper to wear, the days were growing steadily colder.

"Yeah fine," he said taking a seat on her bed.

"Are you inviting Bianca tomorrow?"

Jay blushed and Rose rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, she's coming."

Rose beamed.

"I like Bianca."

"She likes you too, she told me" Jay grinned, "she also wants to know what you and Amy are wearing tomorrow – she needs an idea."

"Oh, well," Rose blushed, "I've already got something," she said automatically, before realising that this response wouldn't help her.

"Okay…? What is it?"

"I can't tell you," Rose said, folding her arms.

"Any why not?"

"Because…because…oh fine! I haven't bought a dress yet!"

"Then why did you say you did?!"

Rose tugged at her fuzzy hair.

"Because Amy was trying to force me to try on dresses but I wasn't in the mood because my hair looks crap and, no offence to your sister, but she has terrible taste in dress shops."

She said all of this very fast and Jay gazed at her, bemused.

"To be honest, every dress shop in this town is terrible," she muttered, her brow furrowed as she again wondered where on earth she was going to find something decent to wear by tomorrow morning.

"Have you tried _Aggraziato_?"

"What?"

"It's a dress shop, a bit further out of town."

"How on earth –?"

"Bianca's parents own it."

"Oh," Rose considered this. She was sure they had been to every dress shop in the town centre, and she hadn't liked a single dress.

"Where exactly is it?"

"Opposite side of town to the Lab, have you passed that massive water fountain of the massive Seaking?"

Rose nodded.

"Well it's not far past there, towards the Town Hall."

Rose was secretly pleased. This was certainly the more suave end of town, and hopefully she would find something halfway decent in _Aggraziato_.

"Well, seeing as you're no use, I'm going to go and ask Amy what she's wearing."

Rose gave him an apologetic smile before picking up her book once again.

-o-

"Tripp? Can you help me?" Amy asked, sauntering into his bedroom.

"What is it?" he grinned. He couldn't help but notice how good she looked with that hair.

"Which necklace shall I wear tomorrow?"

She held out a plain, thick-chained gold one, and a silver chained one with what looked like a chunk of onyx hanging from it. If Tripp was honest, he didn't really like either, but after a little consideration he decided the silver was far less offensive.

"Can you put it on me?" Amy asked.

Tripp tried hard not to smirk; he knew what she was doing, but he didn't mind really. It was all a bit of fun. It had been a while since he'd had a bit of fun with a girl.

He fastened the necklace slowly, but not clumsily, and made sure that his breath tickled the back of her neck as he did so. He smiled to himself as he saw that he had given her goosepimples. He wasn't sure where this recklessness was coming from but he didn't really care. It was fun after all, and they'd probably be leaving Tarragon City soon. Amy turned around to face him and gasped as she saw the light dancing in his eyes. He raised an eyebrow at her insolently before leaning in and kissing her.

He still wasn't entirely sure what made him do it, but it was fun. His hands came to rest on her behind as her grip on his shoulders tightened. He opened his mouth slightly and found her tongue with his own. Amy gasped again, and Tripp decided to stop, keeping the excitement alive.

"Did you hope that would happen?" he smirked at her, enjoying the way she was looking at him. Her grey eyes were wide with shock and desire. He let go of her waist.

"Yes," she whispered.

"There might be more where that came from tomorrow," he whispered in her ear.

She nodded once, still evidently dumbstruck, before she left his room.

Tripp leant back on his desk chair with his hands behind his head and an arrogant smile on his lips.

_Why not?_ He thought.

-o-

Pascalia frowned slightly as she surveyed Hielo and Ledus, her golden eyes narrowed. They nervously waited for her to speak.

"I wonder if I have…missed something?" she finally asked.

Hielo and Ledus glanced at each other.

"M-missed something?"

"Yes," Pascalia smiled, her beautiful features distorting slightly, "you come to tell me that a dinner and celebratory ball is being held at Tarragon Laboratory."

"Y-yes."

"Does this affect the obtaining of the Water Stones?"

"N-no but -"

"_Then why do I care_?" she hissed. "I want those stones by next week, ball or no ball. I still have plenty of work to do!"

She flounced back to the cave, her burgundy cape billowing behind her. Back in the cave Chelsea sat with her back against the damp stone wall. Around her were maps and blueprints and notebooks filled with writing. She started as Pascalia entered the cave. Her appearance was becoming more and more alarming. Chelsea could have sworn that earlier that morning, by the light of the dawn, the skin on Pascalia's face had shimmered, much like her porcelain skin was comprised of scales. She had also noticed that, when angry, sparks could sometimes be seen flying from the young woman's nostrils. Chelsea herself was almost unrecognisable too. She had long ago cut her blond curly pigtails – she had no time to wash her hair and having it below her shoulders and matted drove her mad. Her face, which had once been rather plump and pink was now sallow and drawn and her fingernails were dirty and broken from living in woods and caves.

"What have you found out?"

"Lance and Clair have been searching every region for you except this one. I think it's safe to say that they will come here before long."

Pascalia snorted in apparent amusement. Chelsea tried hard to ignore the sparks; they unnerved her far more than she would ever admit.

"And the Pokémon?"

"They'll be ready as soon as we have the Water Stones I think."

"And the mountain face?"

"I…I'm not sure," Chelsea admitted.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not one hundred percent sure that the rock face can be broken with ice…molten rock that has hardened is far more durable than ordinary rock…and if it's the same texture through to the entrance of the mountain itself…"

"I'll find a way," Pascalia snapped, "I have to find a way. _It's my destiny,_" this last part she whispered, a manic smile on her face. Chelsea averted her eyes and wondered, for the thousandth time, why she had ever agreed to this.

Pascalia sat back against the cave wall, a smile still on her face. She knew she was becoming ever closer to her beloved Dragon Pokémon. Not only could she understand them fully, because of her knowledge of Draconis, but she felt as though she could read their emotions too. She noticed that Chelsea was shivering where she sat and wondered why. She, Pascalia, wasn't cold at all – she hadn't felt the cold for weeks despite the imminence of winter. She remembered, with a reminiscent smile, how she would determinedly battle the cold in her younger years, telling herself she could not feel it so as to remain in Dragon's Den, in that little chamber her grandfather believed to be secret. There she would pour over those ancient books for hours at a time, hungry for the power the language would bring her. She would show them.

Raised practically as royalty, Pascalia had been horrified to learn, at age twelve, that Clair was her father's heir and, along with Lance, she would rule both Blackthorn City and Dragon's Den. Pascalia's father had tried to convince her that by not being the heir, she was free to choose a life of her own; she didn't have to train Dragons, didn't have to remain in Blackthorn when she came of age. To Pascalia, who had only ever wanted to assume a position of power in this ancient city, this was abominable. She did not want to pursue her own life, she wanted her sister's. Clair was very beautiful and extremely talented. Pascalia knew that the only way to take Clair's place, without resorting to murder of course, was to outshine her in every way. The Garchomp Rampage in the Sesame Region took hold of Pascalia; she was only eight years old when it happened, and yet she painstakingly cut all newspaper articles regarding the event from the papers and stuck them into her own meticulous scrapbook. Sesame had stood still when Blackthorn City had refused their pleas for help. The Dragon Tamers knew that without the ancient skills of their forefathers, they had no hope against the rampaging Dragons. More and more unpleasant ends seemed to meet those ancestors who practised Dragonlore, to the point where that wretched stone and the books on Draconis were destroyed. Or so they thought…

The Garchomp had been stopped however, to the Dragon Tamers' surprise, by none other than one of their own, Fernando. Fernando was Pascalia's father's youngest brother. Like her, he had nothing to claim in Blackthorn City and so made his own way in life. His Dragon heritage shone through however in his apparent skill with Fire type Pokémon. He was travelling in Sesame when the Rampage had broken out, much to his family's surprise – the last they heard he had settled down and married. Nonetheless, not being able to completely subdue the Garchomp, Fernando trapped them in the mountain and was made the Champion of Sesame for his efforts. He was not in contact with his family. Pascalia did not want this path – she wanted to be revered by her family, not estranged from them. Shuddering at such a thought, she rose from the floor of the cave and stalked out into the night, more determined than ever to see her dreams fulfilled.

**AN: Hello! (: much faster update this time. Would love to know what you're all thinking. We learn a bit more about Pascalia, and of course Fernando/Fuego. Next chapter is the Ball, and I'm pleased to say a lot of drama is going to come with it (:**

**Thanks to those of you who review! (:**

**Lots of love, A x**


	18. Chapter 18

**AN: Just a little warning – this story's 'M' rating begins here. If you don't like it, or you're under eighteen or whatever, I suggest you stop reading :D**

Rose, to her relief, had managed to complete her shopping fairly quickly and was back before half past nine the following morning. After a fair amount of deliberation she had decided to buy Tripp a thermal, long-sleeved vest. It was boring, yes, but they would be leaving to continue their journey soon and it was bound to come in useful with winter approaching. As to her dress for the evening…well. The shop owners, i.e. Bianca's parents, had seemed to like it on her, so it would have to do. Rose was just relieved that her hair was back to normal. She smiled ruefully at what she knew would be the horrified look on her mother's face if she could see how vain she had become.

A bonus of being back so early meant that she arrived before the other three had even emerged for breakfast. She really couldn't be dealing with Amy trying to take a look at her dress.

As Rose was halfway through her porridge, Tripp entered the breakfast room. He was still in his pyjama bottoms and his hair was very untidy.

"Good morning," Rose laughed, taking in his appearance, "and happy birthday."

"Thanks," he grinned, helping himself to a bowl of porridge too, practically upending the sugar bowl into it.

"Did you want me to get your present now or later?"

Tripp considered through his mouthful of porridge before swallowing and saying, "How about later? I think we're all going to have some drinks in my bedroom before the ball."

"Oh, okay," Rose blinked; this was news to her, "I warn you though, it's a very boring gift…"

Tripp rolled his eyes at her as he poured himself a cup of coffee. Jay and Amy both entered the room.

"Morning," Jay yawned, pulling the fruit salad towards him, "happy birthday Tripp!"

Tripp nodded with a smile, his mouth again full of porridge.

"Yeah, happy birthday," Amy blushed. Rose looked at her curiously, wondering why she had become so bashful all of a sudden.

"What're you all doing today?" Tripp asked.

"Well, it's up to you really," Jay said, "your day and all that."

Tripp deliberated as he finished his porridge.

"If you don't mind," he said, turning to Amy and Jay, "I quite fancy Pokémon training," he smiled at Rose.

"Whatever buddy," Jay said, spooning yoghurt over his fruit, "I guess we'll see you later? Give you your presents?"

Tripp nodded.

"Yeah, thanks! Rose? You coming?"

"Of course," she smiled, "we've been slacking slightly."

Tripp laughed loudly at her sarcasm. Gone were the days when they trained for hours from morning until night.

"You finished breakfast? Will you be ready after I've dressed?"

Rose nodded and Tripp left the room.

"What did you get him?" Jay asked conversationally through a mouthful of fruit.

Rose grimaced.

"A thermal vest," she laughed as Jay tried to hide his surprise, "I know, I know, it's boring. And annoyingly, it was far more expensive that it looks."

"Well, it'll go well with my thermal beanie hat," Jay grinned, "what did you get him Amy?"

Amy blushed again, and Rose studied her critically. Why _had _she become so self-conscious this morning?

"I got him some chocolate," she said airily, blushing even harder. Rose rolled her eyes, if she was honest, she really didn't care what had gotten into Amy.

"Right," she said, standing up, "I'm gonna grab my Pokéball belt, see you both later!"

"What's up with you?" Jay asked as Rose left the room. Amy bit her lip as she looked into her brother's eyes, identical to her own.

"Tripp kissed me last night."

"He – what?!"

"He kissed me," she repeated, "and he said…he said -" she blushed more still.

"What did he say?" Jay whispered. He wasn't sure why but he felt incredibly nervous; he could feel his heart pumping frantically against his ribs.

"He said there would be more where that came from…tonight."

Jay felt his mouth fall open but made no effort to close it.

"So he likes you?!"

"Well, I think that's pretty obvious," Amy retorted, half insulted, half smug.

Jay sat back and frowned.

"What is it?" his twin asked.

"Just…be careful Amy," he said quietly, "I like Tripp and everything but…well, I don't want you to get hurt."

Amy's grey eyes narrowed.

"And _why_ will I get hurt?"

Jay sighed heavily.

"I'm not saying you will necessarily…just…that...you don't know him that well. He might not be all he seems…"

Amy turned a blotchy, angry red.

"That's how much _you_ know," she snapped.

Jay, with difficulty, stopped himself from retorting. He wasn't sure if it was denial or ignorance, but he could not see how Amy could not interpret Tripp's real feelings which he found to be, at times, glaringly obvious.

"Hey," Tripp said from the doorway, "see you guys later?"

Both Jay and Amy turned red, wondering if he had overheard their conversation. But they needn't have worried.

"We'll probably be a few hours," he grinned, "do you wanna meet in my bedroom at five?"

"To give you your presents?" Jay asked.

"And have some drinks," Tripp grinned.

"Drinks? Where did you get drinks?" Jay frowned.

"I bought them."

"But you're only just seventeen!"

"All about the confidence," Tripp drawled, leaning on the doorframe, "there you are!" he exclaimed upon seeing Rose who appeared next to him.

"Well I had to change – I didn't want to Pokémon train in a denim mini skirt."

"Shame," Tripp grinned, glancing at her now jean-clad legs.

Rose slapped him around the head, and he tried to duck, laughing.

"See you guys later!" she called.

"Bye!" Jay replied. He then turned to look at Amy with his eyebrows raised.

"What?" she asked.

"You didn't pick up anything there? Hmm? Nothing at all?"

Amy crossed her arms and looked away from her brother.

"I'm just trying to help you!" he said in exasperation, "what if you did start seeing each other? Huh? He's collecting badges! Today we're technically finished here! Are you going to go with him and Rose? Sleep in a tent? Learn to battle?!"

Amy bit her lip but still would not look at her brother. Jay sighed in frustration and ran his hands through his short, sandy blond hair.

"I'm just trying to help Ames."

He stood up from his seat and ruffled her hair slightly on his way out of the breakfast hall.

Amy continued to sit in silence, her knees drawn up, her chin resting upon them solemnly.

-o-

The day was bright but very cold.

"So, seventeen?" Rose asked.

"Yeah…it's pretty weird, mainly because it's not weird…know what I mean?"

Rose laughed.

"Your powers of articulation astound me, Tripp."

He rolled his eyes, but did not reply.

"Where shall we train?"

"I was just wondering that," Tripp said, "how about Tarragon Park again?"

"I don't know if the Pokémon in there will present enough of a challenge…they were all right for our Eevees…"

"How about the mountain base? It'll only take us about twenty minutes to get there"

Rose looked up at him and smiled. He had a hard, determined look in his eyes that set him apart from everyone she knew. _Except me_, she thought.

"Like what you see Ro?" he smirked.

"You wish," she sneered, before smiling. She felt such a strong relief that their friendship was back to normal that she couldn't even feel that happy about it – just shakily grateful. She had been dreading what would happen when their stint at the Lab was over, but now she knew; they would just go on as before.

It was difficult to get back into training; they had abandoned it for so long that it took much longer than usual to get back into the swing of things.

"This is no good Rose," Tripp said, pushing his sweaty hair from his eyes, "our Pokémon have grown lethargic."

"They'll be fine!" Rose replied, turning away from him to administer a Potion to Oddish. She could not let him catch that look in her eye. She gulped as she realised she could not banish that image from her mind; Tripp had removed his jacket and was training in his t-shirt and jeans, his toned biceps rippling under his tanned skin. She also found herself wishing that she could run_ her_ fingers through his hair, and had to make a conscious effort not to stare at him. She was furious with herself. It was much easier when she didn't fancy him she knew, but her barrier had broken now. She was no longer able to hide her emotions as well as she could before. This is why she resorted to physically hiding them; literally turning away so he couldn't see the look on her face.

Rose was right, Tripp thought with relief half an hour later. After more rounds of intense training, their Pokémon seemed to be filled with new-found energy. It wasn't long after that, that Geodude began to glow with a blinding light. Rose and Tripp stood back to watch the evolution. Graveler appeared in Geodude's place soon after and, characteristically, enveloped Tripp in a rib-breaking hug, tears streaming down his rocky face. A mere fifteen minutes later, Oddish began to glow with the same light, both soft and blinding.

"Gloom!" exclaimed the newly evolved Pokémon.

"Definitely not my father's daughter!" Rose said lightly as she hugged her Grass/Poison Pokémon.

Tripp smiled slightly, unsure how to reply. Rose didn't talk about her father - ever. He found it safest to change the subject. Rose didn't mind - she knew it must be awkward.

"I can't believe how…how…" Tripp couldn't quite put his feelings into words. Rose had known him many years however;

"I know. After the Eevees, evolution's become a bit anticlimactic, hasn't it?"

"Yes!" Tripp exclaimed, pleased she had hit the nail on the head, "I feel kinda bad though…"

"I know," Rose said guiltily, "it's their 'big moment' after all…" she then laughed, "it sounds like we're discussing our kids!"

Tripp stopped still. He didn't know why but he felt strange. There was a heat in his stomach, creeping upwards into his chest.

"Hello?" Rose called, waving her hand in front of his face. Tripp snapped out of his trance and grabbed her wrist, smiling slightly.

"Oh, you _are _awake," she grinned. The smile dropped off her face as she looked into his. He still had hold of her wrist, and his blue eyes were burning into hers.

Coming to his senses, he let go of her wrist and wrenched his eyes away from her face.

"Let's keep going!" he said, keeping his voice light and turning around to fiddle with his Pokéball belt.

Rose swallowed in an attempt to find her voice.

"Sure! I'd like Phanpy to evolve too if possible – I mean, if we hadn't been staying with the Professor our Pokémon would probably be well beyond this stage now," she gabbled.

"Hmm," Tripp said vaguely. He still hadn't turned to face her. He was trying to clear his head. Why had her talk of 'their' kids struck such a chord within him? He didn't want kids – not anytime soon anyway. And her comment was obviously throw-away and light hearted…then why couldn't he get rid of the molten feeling in his chest? Why did his heart feel twice as large as usual? _I really need to get her out of my head_, he thought. Being together now wasn't an option…he wasn't even sure if that was what he _did_ want long term…but for now anyway it definitely wasn't an option. He smiled grimly as he realised what he needed to do now. He had been considering it, hence his words to Amy, but now he had made up his mind.

-o-

To their delight, if not their surprise, by the time the sky had begun to darken both Phanpy and Kakuna had evolved. Such was their over-exposure to evolution in recent weeks, Tripp could not even muster up any excitement about the fact that the now owned a Beedrill with an unusually deadly sting.

"Well, we got a lot done," Rose smiled in satisfaction as she stowed her somatotropin reader in her bag, "it's gonna be a wrench giving this back to the Professor," she said, gesturing to the little device.

"Yeah," Tripp agreed. "Hey, have you made a decision regarding Pikachu?"

"Pika Pi?" Pikachu asked from where he was clinging around Rose's neck. It had been so long since he had been trained that he was absolutely refusing to go back into his Pokéball.

"Yes, about you!" she laughed, "I'm not sure," she said, turning to Tripp, "He's been Pikachu for so long…I'm not sure how I'd feel about him evolving…"

"All depends on those growth hormone levels I suppose," Tripp frowned, "unless you have anything against Raichu's form, you may have nothing to lose and everything to gain from having him evolve. The Professor would obviously give you a stone," Tripp felt rather guilty, having caved and used her Thunder Stone to evolve his Eevee into Jolteon.

"Hmm," Rose said non-committally, deep in thought.

On her shoulder Pikachu began to think himself. _Raichu_. Why did that name stir something within him? He closed his eyes and strained his memory hard…a large shape, curly ears and a magnificent lightning-ended tail. _Raichu_. His mother. Pikachu was filled with an unquenchable excitement. He could be a Raichu too! Wisely, he kept quiet as he continued to cling to Rose's back. She was stubborn; he knew he had to let her make the decision for herself.

-o-

Amy was staring glumly out of her bedroom window which overlooked the vast lawns of the Laboratory's rear. She started when she saw two figures making their way across the lawns and up to the back doors. Narrowing her eyes she surveyed Rose and Tripp but leant back, satisfied. She wasn't sure why she was feeling so jumpy. Rose and Tripp were not holding hands or anything of the sort – as she had half expected. She scowled as she considered that Jay's words did not contain an element of truth, and that he was only serving to make her paranoid. She giggled girlishly as she remembered what Tripp had said to her the night before, the lusty way he had been looking at her… She gave him five minutes before walking down the corridor and knocking on his bedroom door.

"Hello?" he called.

Amy took a deep breath and walked in, blushing as she caught sight of Tripp who, in the process of taking off his jumper, had managed to reveal quite a lot of toned, brown stomach.

"You okay?" he asked, pulling his t-shirt down. Her eyes snapped up to his face; that smirk was beginning to become a regular feature of his.

"Fine. I just wanted to wish you happy birthday," she said nervously.

"You did this morning," he grinned.

She took a step closer to him, wondering where on earth she was getting her composure from.

"I meant…properly," she finished, somewhat lamely.

Realising what she meant he crossed the distance between them, took her face in his hands and kissed her roughly. Amy gasped in shock but then relaxed as she began to kiss him back. His hands were roaming wildly, but she couldn't bring herself to make him stop. She flushed when she realised that she was enjoying it.

Two polite knocks sounded on Tripp's bedroom door before it swung open.

"Happy bir -" Jay began to say. He was holding his wrapped gift under one arm and a chocolate cake in that same hand. His free hand was still on the doorknob, which he had not yet relinquished in his shock. Turning slightly pink he cleared his throat.

"Didn't we agree to meet at five?" he asked, eyebrows raised, "I can come back later?"

Calm though he appeared, Amy knew him better than that and cringed at the anger he was cleverly concealing.

"No, no, come in," Tripp grinned, running a hand through his floppy dark hair which had become slightly trussed from their activities.

Jay smiled lightly and stepped into the room, shutting the door behind him. He caught Amy's eye, and she looked away when she saw the questions in his. He couldn't have seen anything, she was pretty certain. They had sprung apart as soon as they heard the knocks. Nevertheless, the state of Tripp's hair, and her own too she realised after catching sight of herself in the full-length mirror, made it all too obvious what they had been doing.

"I got you a cake," he said unnecessarily, looking at Tripp who was busying around his room, fetching the glasses he had smuggled out of the kitchen and stowed underneath his bed.

"Thanks buddy!" Tripp smiled genuinely. He clasped Jay's hand and pulled him into a one-armed hug, "Fancy a drink?"

He pulled two bottles of champagne from underneath his pillow and began pouring one onto three tumblers.

"Wonder where Rose is?" he asked casually, handing Amy a glass and giving her a fleeting wink.

Jay blinked in shock upon seeing this exchange with his sister. Maybe he really _did_ like her…he relaxed considerably after this. Amy was fairly clever, he mused after having taken a couple of gulps of the fizzy beverage. Tripp did seem to be very interested in her this evening, laughing at her jokes, topping up her drink, giving her lingering looks and touches. Amy was smiling happily, her cheeks ever a delicate shade of pink. Jay shrugged. He could feel the drink going to his head. It was all fine, he thought. If they really like each other they'll work something out…

"Happy birthday!" Rose called, opening Tripp's bedroom door. She too was carrying a present under her arm.

"Thanks!" Tripp smiled, taking the package from her and handing her a full tumbler of champagne. She raised her eyebrows.

"Couldn't have a bit more could I?" she asked sarcastically.

Tripp grinned and insolently slopped some more champagne into her glass. Rose rolled her eyes and took a seat next to Jay on the carpet.

"Shall we have some cake?" Tripp said, his eyes shining with excitement.

Rose laughed at the gleeful look on his face; he had always had a soft spot for anything chocolate flavoured.

"I'll have a bit," Rose said, "but not too much – knowing the Professor this ball is going to be yet another display of decadence…"

Jay laughed, "You're right, but I'm starving."

Tripp handed him a slice that was roughly a quarter of the cake.

"Amy?"

"Just a little please," she smiled.

They happily munched their cake for a few minutes before Tripp's excitement shine through again.

"Can I open my presents?" he asked, staggering slightly as he rose from his bedroom floor. Rose looked at him in alarm – she had never seen him drink before, let alone this volume.

"Have mine!" Jay exclaimed, lobbing the small parcel at Tripp. He caught it easily and sat heavily back on his behind.

"Cool! Thanks!" he smiled, jamming the dark grey beanie hat on his head.

"It's thermal," Jay explained, "you know, for when you're on the road again."

Rose looked at Jay questioningly. She could have sworn he was implying something. If he was however, Tripp didn't notice.

"This one yours Amy?" he asked, ripping the purple paper from another gift.

She nodded meekly.

"'Happy birthday Tripp'," he read from the chocolate heart, "Aw, thanks Amy!" he staggered over to her and planted a loud kiss on her cheek. Jay looked over at Rose who looked slightly wary, yet not angry, at the kiss.

"This must be yours then, Ro?" Tripp asked, feeling a flat, soft package.

"Yup, but like I said, it's pretty dull…"

"Are you mad?!" Tripp asked as he pulled the black, thermal top from its wrappings, "these things cost a bomb!" he looked at her open-mouthed.

Rose flushed pink with pleasure.

"You like it?"

"I love it! I certainly could have done with one of these on Tarragon Mountain," he said, slurring slightly. Rose hastily took a gulp of her champagne. When she looked up moments later, Tripp was still staring at her, a soft smile on his face.

"Well, it's getting colder by the day!" she said, her voice rather high, "that's why I thought it would be handy you know, when we're on the move again?"

Jay now looked to Amy to gauge her reaction. As he thought, she hadn't truly considered that Tripp would be off, and so soon.

"What're you guys doing after tonight?" Tripp asked, tearing his eyes from Rose, "you going back to Annatto?"

"Well, I'm not entirely sure what I'm doing," Jay said, partly to give Amy time to compose herself, "because of Bianca," he blushed.

"Ah Jay," Tripp said, crawling over to him and slinging an arm around his shoulders, "don't change your plans for a girl…unless she's _really_ special that is," he laughed.

Jay found Amy's eye and was pleased to see she looked thunderstruck. She had deduced then, from the conversation, that however much Tripp might like her, it wasn't enough to give up his Pokémon journey.

"It's six o'clock," Rose said, checking the clock and getting to her feet, "I'd better go and start getting ready."

"Now?!" Tripp exclaimed, glaring at her blearily, "we're only just getting started!"

"Well I think I've had enough to drink…and you have too," she frowned. In genuine concern she moved over to him and pushed his hair from his eyes and smoothed his t-shirt over his shoulders. Jay could see that this was merely a motherly reaction, but Amy's face had fallen drastically.

"Where're we all meeting?" Rose asked Jay.

"Shall we meet at the bottom of the staircase, at quarter to eight?" he said, "I think the Professor wants the ball to open at eight on the dot."

Rose nodded before glancing at Tripp who was drunkenly whispering to Amy.

"That sounds fine – do make sure he's okay will you?" she asked, looking over at Tripp in concern, "and take that bloody champagne away."

Jay nodded and patted her on the shoulder as she left the bedroom.

"Come on Tripp," he said loudly, "I think it's time you got in the shower."

"In a minute," Tripp mumbled. He was sat on the floor, leaning against his bed. All energy had seemed to have left him.

"You'll feel better once you've had a shower and eaten more cake – soak up that drink."

"I'll help him," Amy piped up suddenly.

Jay glared at her through narrowed eyes.

"I'm not sure –"

"I said _I'll_ help him," she said, her forcefulness taking her twin by surprise. He was so surprised by her sudden change in attitude that he allowed her to shove him from the room and slam the door in his face. Shaking his head slightly at the ridiculousness of the situation, Jay made his way back to his own room. All he wanted to do was call Bianca and off-load this ridiculous situation onto her.

-o-

Amy was not completely without wits. She fed Tripp glass after glass of water from the jug on his desk until he began to feel a bit more sober.

"Eurgh, thanks Amy," he muttered, his eyes still closed, "I don't know why I thought it was a good idea to drink on an empty stomach…what's that?" he asked, opening his eyes. Amy was holding another, very small package in her hands.

"It's your proper present," she said, slightly nervously, handing it to him.

Tripp took the present, looking pleased but confused.

"And why does it have to be given in private?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Amy laughed.

"It's nothing like that," she said, blushing furiously, but feeling elated at the flirting.

Tripp merely stared at the gift once he had unwrapped it. He kept looking from the present to Amy, his eyes wide.

"How on earth did you afford this?" he whispered, delicately examining the Experience Point Leveller.

Amy shrugged happily, his reaction was far better than she had hoped. It did irritate her slightly that the idea had been Rose's…but she pushed that thought from her mind.

"And how did you even know about it? You don't even like battling!"

"I know you though," she said "and I knew it would be the perfect present as soon as I saw it," she was aware of how blatantly she was lying, but didn't think any harm would come from it really. Any worries she had were extinguished, however, when Tripp pushed her from her sitting position to the floor, where he proceeded to kiss her hungrily.

_This is definitely worth the lie_, Amy thought, as she ran her hands through his shiny hair and over the muscles in his back. With a boldness she did not know she possessed, Amy proceeded to remove his t-shirt and her eyes widened at the sight. He was so tanned and so lean.. She tried to sit up slightly so as to stroke his chest, but he gave her no chance. With a surprisingly practised hand he removed her top and began to kiss her slowly from her neck, over her breasts, down to her stomach. Amy could hardly breathe. Was she really going to do this? Right here? Right now?

As if he could read her mind, Tripp stopped. His blue eyes slid back into focus and he sat up, throwing her top to her. Amy clutched at the fabric, unsure as to what she should say or do. Tripp pulled her to her feet and whispered in her ear: "This ball is going to be filled with people. At some point we'll be able to slip away…" he trailed off suggestively before winking at her. He then grabbed his towel from the radiator and opened his bedroom door.

"But for now, mademoiselle, we have a ball to prepare for."

-o-

"Rose?" Amy called, banging on their shared bathroom door, "are you finished?" she heard the shower turn off and a couple of minutes later Rose opened the door, her body and hair wrapped in towels.

"Oh, hi Amy, you okay?"

"You didn't hear me?"

"Were you knocking?" she looked genuinely surprised, "Sorry! The shower's really loud. Were you waiting long?"

Amy shook her head – she wasn't even annoyed. She was too excited, not to mention nervous, about later on tonight.

"See you in a bit!" she said, shutting the door behind her. Once in the shower she washed her hair vigorously. Razor in hand she surveyed her own body – should she? Deciding it would be far too risky not to, she gritted her teeth and began to shave her extremities. She wasn't sure what Tripp would like…had he ever had an experience to_ know_ what he liked? She would have guessed no, but the instinctual way in which he removed her top made her wonder. She stopped still in the shower, chewing her lip. What if he had…with _Rose_? She stood, rooted to the spot with worry. After some careful deliberation, she came to the conclusion that _Rose _certainly hadn't…it didn't seem very 'her' somehow…

With Tripp, she could believe it either way. If not Rose then she wasn't sure who, but it seemed a little ridiculous that he _never_ had…he was so freaking hot…

Coming to her senses Amy continued to shave meticulously before turning the shower off with slightly shaking hands. _Calm yourself_, she thought, _you cannot allow yourself to become nervous._ Try as she might, however, she could not shake the worry that it was going to hurt. She bustled into her bedroom and proceeded to style her hair, unsure whether the rolling feeling in her stomach was due to excitement, nerves, or a combination of the two.

-o-

"Jay?" Tripp called from outside his bedroom door, "you decent?"

The bedroom door swung open and Jay appeared, looking a little self-conscious in his dinner jacket.

"Hey Tripp – does this look okay?" he asked, trying to smooth his collar.

"I think you've got it a bit twisted," Tripp frowned, he walked behind the other boy and unfolded the collar where it had gotten stuck.

"There we go.

"Ah, that's way better, it was really digging in…"

They caught one another's eye and grinned shiftily.

"Feels weird doesn't it?" Tripp asked, picking at his cuff.

Jay nodded in agreement.

"I can't help but feel a bit nervous…"

"About the cameras?" Tripp asked, understandingly.

"N-no…about Bianca."

"Why are you nervous about her?!"

Jay shrugged.

"I just really like her I suppose," he mumbled.

Tripp clapped him on the back.

"Come on mate, you like her, she likes you! What's there to worry about?"

Jay continued to look a little twitchy, so Tripp lead him to his own bedroom where they proceeded to open the second bottle of champagne.

-o-

Amy surveyed herself one last time in the full length mirror. She was pleased with the result. Her hair was shiny and startlingly red. Her pale skin was clear and her neon lipstick was almost the exact shade of pink as her shoes. She smiled happily at her simple black dress. Rose's wasn't black she knew, and she was pleased about that. For what could look classier than a simple black dress? Feeling slightly nervous for the first time about the ball itself, Amy descended the staircase, smiling shyly at the two boys waiting at the bottom.

-o-

Tripp grinned appreciatively at Amy's makeover. He could see her small waist through the tight bodice of her dress. He blinked slightly at the bright shoes upon her thin white legs and briefly wondered why her dress ended mid-calf. Nonetheless, the effect was quite pleasant if a little brash compared with her almost conservative dress. He pecked her on the lips, much to Jay's surprise, but grimaced as his own lips stuck to her neon lipstick. He hastily wiped his lips on his hand when Amy turned away.

"Where's Rose?" Jay asked in confusion. It was gone ten to eight – and he'd never known her to be late before.

The sound of a bedroom door closing made them all look up towards the staircase. Jay, Tripp and Amy's mouths all hung open as Rose made her way down the staircase.

Amy's eyes narrowed as she took in her dress. They certainly didn't sell ones like that in any of the shops _she'd_ looked in. It was sleeveless; the tight bodice was encrusted with gold sequins and yellowish-gold stones that glimmered softly when the light caught them. The further down the dress, the more spread out these stones became until, at knee level, they almost faded out completely to reveal a pale gold chiffon-like material, that floated serenely to the floor. Her long, curly hair was no longer the frizzy mess that it had been after the hairdresser's, but was sleek and shiny; half of it she had teased into a low bun, the rest cascading down the open back of her golden dress in long, loose tendrils.

"Hello," she smiled, quietly pleased at their reactions. Jay winked at her, obviously recognising the shop where she had bought the dress. She flashed him a grateful smile in return. Tripp was ogling her; he had never seen her like this – she had done something to her eyes. They were all smoky and seemed larger than usual, glowing in her lightly tanned face. She felt his stare and for a moment their eyes locked.

"Come on," Jay said, offering her his arm, "let's go find the Professor; you look lovely by the way," he smiled. Rose flushed with pleasure and laughed.

"Why thank you!" she said, taking his arm, "let us go, fine sir!"

-o-

"Lovely! Just lovely!" the Professor beamed as he saw the four teenagers in their ball gear for the first time. He himself was looking rather dapper in an emerald green tuxedo. He had also donned a pair of rose-gold spectacles for the occasion.

"Now," he said, "I am going to greet the guests, who are already seated at their tables, from the stage that has been erected at the far end of the ballroom. It will not be a long introduction. When you hear your names, I wish you to make your way up the aisle between the dinner tables and to stand in front of the stage _facing_ our guests, not up on to it, but in _front _of it. All clear?" they nodded. "Right, the tricky part for you is to find your allocated seats without looking gormless. I have placed you all on different tables so as to make new connections. I suggest that whilst walking up the aisle you scan the ballroom for your table so that you can find it gracefully after your introduction. Now, Jay, you are on table one and Amy, I have put you on table eight. Tripp, you are on table four and Rose, table five. Have you all got that?" they nodded again. Rose felt somewhat surprised that they wouldn't all be sat together, but was excited nonetheless.

"Right, I'm off to make the necessary introductions," The Professor said, leaving them outside the colossal oaken front doors of the ballroom, "Mrs. Habbit will open the doors for you when it is time," he gestured to the housekeeper who smiled fondly at them all.

"Good luck all of you!" he said, rubbing his hands together in excitement, "and remember your table numbers!"

He hobbled off through the Laboratory so as to enter the ballroom from the other side. The four teenagers were left standing together feeling very jittery. Rose couldn't help but smile through her whispered conversation with Jay; she could feel Tripp's eyes flicking back to her constantly. A glance his way when he wasn't looking was a mistake. She could almost feel the heat radiating from her skin. He looked so handsome. He had swept his dark hair back from his face, although a lock had fallen free and was hanging into his bright blue eyes. She did not permit herself to look at his body in his tuxedo – she was finding it hard to concentrate on what Jay was saying as it was. Out of nowhere Mrs. Habbit took hold of the brass door handles and opened the ballroom doors. Rose had been so preoccupied with her own thoughts that she had missed the Professor announcing them. Regaining her composure and holding her head high, she took Jay's arm once again and they made their way up the aisle cleared for them. She couldn't help but feel surprised at the sheer amount of people in the ballroom, all on their feet and clapping as the four made their way to the front. Remembering her instructions, Rose glanced around, under the pretence of greeting the guests, to find her table number. Having spotted it, she concentrated on making her way to the front in her high heels. They turned to face the ballroom and the clapping died down.

"Ladies and gentlemen, my assistants!" The Professor repeated. Applause broke out once more and, after a small nod from Professor Willow, the four made their way to their own tables.

Tripp blinked in surprise as he made his way over to table four. Sitting there was Cristine of the Elite Four.

"Tripp!" she exclaimed, jumping up from her seat to shake his hand, she looked wonderful in a gown of pale blue satin, "It's been so long! How are you?"

"I'm great!" he smiled, genuinely pleased to see her.

"Let me introduce you," Cristine said looking around the table, "everyone, this is Tripp – one of the ones who tipped us off about the Dewgong!"

There were impressed murmurings around the table.

"Now this is Veronica," she said gesturing to a young woman in a figure-hugging dress of green velvet, "she's one of the Elite Four too, along with Lux and Petar over there," an incredibly muscular man with a shaved head and a fair skinned woman with thick dark wavy hair and startling dark blue eyes smiled at him.

"This here is Lance, Champion of Johto and his er – cousin, Clair of Blackthorn City."

Lance and Clair laughed at Cristine's apparent discomfort.

"Cristine cannot get her head around the fact that we're engaged to be married," Lance said ruefully.

Tripp blinked in shock.

"Oh. I see. That's really –"

"Don't worry about it," the muscular Petar laughed throatily, "they enjoy weirding us out."

Tripp grinned. He was going to enjoy sitting at this table.

-o-

Rose consulted her menu card for the first time when she saw the first course being brought into the ballroom from the kitchens.

"Peter Canlis Prawns, sautéed in dry vermouth, garlic, red chilies, and lime," she read aloud.

"He doesn't do things by halves does he?" the young man next to her smiled.

Rose laughed.

"Do you know the Professor well?" she asked, picking up her fork.

The young man swallowed his mouthful of prawn before responding.

"His father and mine are great friends, they have been since they were boys."

"Who is your father?"

"Dr. Wood," the young man said, gesturing to the grey-haired man to his left.

"Pleased to meet you," Rose smiled at the man, who, apart from being twenty-five or so years older than him, looked very much like his son.

"I'm Rose," she said, "what's your name?"

He smiled at her. She noticed he had very dark green eyes, most unusual. In fact, he was very nice looking…

"I'm also called Dr. Wood," he grinned, "but I'll settle for you calling me Horatio."

Rose couldn't help but blush. He was much too old to consider truly fancying,_ he must be over thirty_, she thought, but he was very handsome with his green eyes and his shiny, chocolate brown hair. And he was a _doctor_!

"Are you a doctor of Pokémon Medicine?" she asked Horatio, before thanking the waiter who removed her plate.

"I am," he said, "the Professor has told me a great deal about you Rose," he said, his eyes twinkling.

"He has?" Rose almost choked on her champagne.

"Yes; I hear you read books on anatomy in your spare time?"

Rose nodded enthusiastically.

"And on Pokémon Biochemistry, and general surgery and –" she broke off, blushing, "Sorry, she said, "I don't want to bore you…"

"As if you could!" Horatio replied good-naturedly, "Did you not know the Professor has placed all of you in a position where you can make relevant connections?"

Rose was stunned to silence. The Professor thought she would make a good doctor? How could he know she had been thinking about it for some weeks? She hadn't told anyone!

"He has told me of your intelligence and your dedication," Horatio continued, "and I would be most grateful to assist you in your study of Medicine."

Rose continued to sit in silence. She would love to become a Pokémon doctor…but she was travelling at the moment. She chewed her lip. What did she really want? To become a doctor, or a Pokémon master? Looking inside herself, she knew the answer to be glaringly obvious. However, she had started something, and could not bear to leave a task unfinished.

"Horatio, I would be honoured to study Medicine with you, but I don't think I could afford it," she blushed at her confession.

"Rose," the doctor said quietly, bending towards her so only she could hear, "after tonight's presentation I'm pretty sure that I will find that it will be me who will benefit from working with you – not the other way around," he smiled warmly at her, and Rose blushed even more deeply.

Over on table four, Tripp speared a pear from his Arugula Pear Salad with White Truffle Vinaigrette a little too forcefully. A few salad leaves jumped from his plate and landed near Cristine's elbow.

"Whoa, you all right there?" she asked, sipping her champagne.

Tripp turned away from table five where he saw Rose deep in conversation with a strikingly handsome man. He didn't like the way he was looking at her. And why was she blushing so much?

"That's Dr. Wood," Veronica said, noticing the direction of his gaze.

"Is he a Pokémon doctor?" Tripp asked.

Cristine nodded.

"I assume Rose is following a career in Medicine?" she asked, "I must say hello to her later on…"

"Why would you think she's interested in Medicine?" Tripp asked gruffly.

Cristine blinked.

"I would have thought that was obvious!" she exclaimed, "you do realise the Professor has placed you on this table for a reason?"

Tripp opened his mouth to speak but came up short.

"Aren't you on a journey to challenge the League?" asked Lux, whose dark grey silk dress was enticingly low cut.

"I am but –"

"Well, the Professor thinks you're well up for it," Petar grinned cracking his knuckles, "although you gotta beat us before you have a chance at tackling the Champion!"

Lance raised his hand for attention. They ceased speaking until he had finished his last mouthful of salad. Wiping his mouth on his napkin he turned to Cristine.

"I've been meaning to ask; where is the Champion?"

Cristine raised her eyebrows and gave a knowing look to the other three members of the Elite Four.

"Fuego? You wouldn't find him somewhere like this…"

"Fuego…" Lance repeated, exchanging a glance with Clair.

"Well, Fuego is what he calls himself," Veronica stated, "nobody knows his real name."

"Well we do," said Clair to general astonishment, "it's Fernando"

Tripp frowned slightly. Why was that name familiar to him?

"But how can you know?" Lux asked, her velvety blue eyes wide.

"We know because he's our uncle," Lance said grimly.

"Your _uncle_?!" exclaimed Petar.

Clair nodded.

"Our grandfather decided we needed to know before we travelled to Sesame. Fernando is the youngest of three brothers, the other two being my father and Lance's."

"So Fue – sorry, _Fernando _is actually from Johto?" Cristine asked.

"Yes," Lance said, "it was a shock to us too. We've never met him though; he left Johto before we were born to pursue his own life, because there was nothing for him in Blackthorn. Our fathers were gobsmacked when they heard he had become Champion though – they thought he'd married and had kids!"

"Fue – Fernando's not married is he?" Petar asked.

"No," Cristine said, "he's never so much as mentioned his family from Johto, let alone a wife and children!"

"Perhaps grandfather got it wrong?" Clair suggested.

"He must have done…so why is Fernando not here? As the Champion –"

"I don't think being the Champion means much to Fuego," Cristine said icily, "it often falls to me to fill in for him on such events."

"Which you really detest," Veronica smirked sarcastically.

Cristine rolled her eyes.

"It doesn't matter whether or not I like it!" she exclaimed, "It's not my duty!"

"Are we able to talk with him?" Clair interrupted.

Cristine and Veronica exchanged glances.

"He doesn't like to be disturbed."

"But we're his niece and nephew…and - it's important," Lance said lamely.

"It's about my sister, Pascalia," Clair said, her tone clipped.

"Your sister? I didn't know you had a sister!" Petar said, evidently surprised.

"I like to pretend otherwise," Clair muttered. Lance put a hand on hers under the table.

"She's gone missing," he informed them, pulling a poster out from under his long cape.

"I've seen her!" Tripp all but shouted, scaring the waiter who had been about to place his mini cheese plate in front of him, "Sorry," he said turning back to the eager faces at the table.

"You've _seen_ her?" Lance asked, his mouth agape.

"Yeah, it was over a month ago, mind you, in Lovage Town."

Clair and Lance glanced at one another.

"Was it definitely her?"

"I think so…" Tripp said, frowning at the photograph, "although I'm pretty sure her eyes weren't green…"

"Well she definitely has green eyes," Lance said, looking disappointed.

"What is it Tripp?" asked Cristine, who noticed he still looked lost in thought.

"Oh! Nothing really…I just remember Rose saying that the person's eyes that _we_ saw were yellow with slitted pupils – can't have been this person then…"

Both Clair and Cristine turned a startling shade of white.

-o-

Once the Seared Foie Gras on Toasted Brioche with Strawberry-Mint Reduction and the Vanilla Gelato Topped with Salted Caramel Sauce had been served and eaten, Professor Willow got to his feet once more where he had been sat at table one.

"Ladies and Gentleman!" he called through the microphone attached to his jacket lapel, "I trust you are fully sophonsified?" there was a general murmuring of agreement, "Excellent! Now if, table by table, you would be so kind as to follow the stewards into the Grand Lecture Theatre, we will proceed. Table one first, if you please?"

"You look nervous," Horatio smiled. Rose smiled back at him – he had very white, even teeth.

"I am a little…this is my work and it's going to be scrutinised by everyone here…" she paled slightly as she took in the vast amount of people moving towards the lecture theatre that she had sat in to learn the basics of Evolution.

Horatio leant to whisper in her ear once again; "If this experiment is anything as ground-breaking as Professor Willow has hinted to my father, I rather think you have nothing to fear," he smiled good naturedly at her.

"Thank you Horatio," she said, touched by his sincerity.

"Table four next!" a steward could be heard saying.

Rose looked up to see Tripp moving towards the exit; his eyes were cold as he looked at her. Rose stared blankly back in confusion, wondering if he could possibly be mad that she had left his little drinking session early.

"I think your boyfriend might be a little angry with me," Horatio laughed, a devilish glint in his eye.

"He's not my boyfriend," she said quickly, feeling the blush stain her cheeks for what felt like the hundredth time that evening.

"But you'd like him to be?" Horatio probed.

"No I would not," she snapped.

Horatio raised his eyebrows slightly.

"If you're sure," he said disbelievingly, "either way, I'm sure _he_ would like _you_ to be his girlfriend."

"Oh really?" Rose asked sarcastically, all her friendly affection for the young doctor fast evaporating.

"Yes. Why else did you think I had to lean in _so _close to whisper to you?"

"Table five!" the steward called.

"What do you mean?" Rose hissed as she walked with Horatio out of the same oaken doors she had come through.

Horatio laughed.

"Rose, you're very beautiful," he said matter of factly, "this chap kept looking over at you in a manner so possessive, I thought I'd give him something to worry about," he chuckled.

Rose couldn't help but laugh.

"I have no idea why you might think he was staring at me," she said, although her heart was beating quickly at the thought.

"Who wouldn't be looking at you?" he said kindly as they continued to walk towards the Grand Lecture Theatre, "you're a picture! Why if I were ten years younger…" he grinned.

Rose blushed again, _this blushing is becoming ridiculous_, she thought to herself.

"And, beautiful though you undoubtedly are, you look even more so standing next to that other girl."

It was Rose's turn to grin.

"And I must say," Horatio continued, "I much prefer your dress."

Rose laughed merrily.

"Horatio, if you don't mind me saying, you're quite the bitch."

Horatio looked flattered.

"Thank you, kind lady," he said, bowing her into the Grand Lecture Theatre with a smirk.

-o-

The four teenagers, although sat far apart in the Grand Lecture Theatre, were all burning with the same proud embarrassment as the Professor, standing alone on a podium, read from their personal experiment portfolios. The crowd of intellectuals and Pokémon Trainers was growing restless. They now had a very good idea what was coming at the end of the chat, and they were beyond excited. As the Professor went into a highly detailed explanation regarding the Chemistry of Evolution, Horatio turned to Rose.

"I admit, I am only growing more impressed with you," he murmured in her ear.

She smiled, but did look away from the Professor.

"Rose, I would very much like to instruct you in Pokémon Medicine. The course is five years long, but with your extensive knowledge I believe you could complete it in three."

Rose began to chew her lip.

"Do I have to give you an answer tonight?" she asked, "only I have a lot to think about…"

Horatio gave her a look; it clearly encouraged her to elaborate.

"I'm collecting badges," she whispered. Horatio could not hide his surprise.

"You're a Pokémon Trainer?"

She nodded in response.

At that moment, Professor Willow released Umbreon and Espeon, much to the delight and incredulity of his audience.

"Espeon, or the Sunlight Pokémon; the Psychic evolution of the Normal type Eevee and, Umbreon, or the Moonlight Pokémon; the Dark type evolution."

The room fell silent in wonder as Umbreon and Espeon sat obediently either side of Professor Willow on the platform.

"Rose, Jay, Tripp and Amy - if you would join me on stage please?"

The crowd clapped loudly for the four as they made their, slightly awkward, ways through the rows of guests and up onto the erected stage. Once up there, they noticed the television crew at the back of the Lecture Theatre, filming every word. They stood there beaming at the applause, realising for the first time just how extraordinary and incredible their findings were.

-o-

Whilst everyone had congregated in the Lecture Theatre, the ballroom had been cleared of tables. Now it was lit with a flattering golden light, and waiters circulated with trays of champagne. A live band now stood upon the temporary stage, poised to play.

The four teenagers had been held outside the oaken doors by the Professor.

"I expect you four to lead the first dance," he said. Peering through the doors they could see that all of the guests were stood in a large semi-circle, leaving the dance floor clear. At the Professor's words, the band struck up a waltz and Rose and Jay and Tripp and Amy made their way to the dance floor and began.

Rose couldn't help but grin at all the faces watching her: she saw Cristine who gave her an excited wave, Horatio who was grinning appreciatively at her, and Bianca, to whom she flashed a guilty smile for dancing with her boyfriend.

"We deserve this, don't we?" she smiled at Jay, who was surprisingly skilled at leading her around the dance floor.

"We do – we worked our arses off for weeks!"

Rose laughed but stopped immediately upon the look on Jay's face. Looking over her shoulder she saw Amy and Tripp dancing together. His hand was dangerously low on the small of her back and he appeared to be whispering something in her ear as she grew steadily more red.

Swallowing hard, Rose turned back to face Jay.

"He's drunk," she said disdainfully. She had seen him down many champagne flutes at dinner, not to mention all that he had drunk earlier that evening.

"Hmm," Jay said, still glowering at the pair. Rose wondered if he knew something she didn't, but pushed it from her mind. Tripp couldn't like Amy, he'd been watching her all evening! Feeling slightly reassured, she finished the dance with Jay and curtsied gracefully. She had barely turned around when she felt a hand on her arm.

"May I?" she heard someone ask. Horatio was holding out a hand to her, "Make your 'friend' jealous," he whispered, jerking his head backwards to indicate Tripp who, as he expected, was glaring daggers at the back of his head. Rose laughed cheerfully, giddy with happiness at Tripp's jealousy, and began to dance with Horatio. Jay had taken Bianca in his arms and Tripp had sidled off the dance floor to grab a drink. After deliberating for a few moments, Amy followed him.

-o-

"Are you okay, Tripp?" Amy asked as she watched him down another glass of champagne. There were now many couples dancing. He put down his glass and grabbed another.

"I'm fine," he grinned, leering at Amy through slightly bloodshot eyes.

She smiled encouragingly.

"Let's dance," he said, downing his second glass of bubbles and all but dragging her to the dance floor.

Rose and Horatio were having a deep discussion about Pokémon enzymes whilst they danced. Glancing around the dance floor Rose noticed that Tripp was back, and was dancing with Amy again. Her face blanched as she noticed how closely he held her, his hand now blatantly groping her behind.

"Are you all right?" Horatio asked. He had seen what had distracted her and couldn't help but feel disgusted at Tripp. What a lowly way to make a girl jealous.

-o-

Sat at one of the few tables to the side of the dancefloor, Cristine and Clair were deep in conversation. Cristine had filled the Dragon Tamer in on all of the unusual happenings in Sesame. She found it refreshing to speak with someone who did not scoff at the Legend of the Dragon Tamers, but feared it.

"So, if Pascalia_ has_ found this stone…"

"She will die," Clair said, her voice emotionless, "the stone is evil, black magic. It slowly affects your insides making them reptilian, like a Dragon's. Your blood will run cold if you are over exposed to it and…well…"

"What happens then?" Cristine asked, horrified yet entranced.

"Then –"

"Very interesting discussion you're having here," Lance interrupted, glaring at the two women.

"Look Lance," Clair said, standing up to glare at him, "Just because _you're_ too narrow minded to believe –"

"I am not narrow minded!" he seethed, pulling her to sit down next to him and Cristine – he did not want to make a scene, "There is no proof that such a stone exists, nobody has seen it for generations –"

"Well if you need to know Draconis to find it, it makes sense that nobody _would_ have seen it for generations," Cristine said, "how long has that language been banned now? Fifty? Sixty years?"

Lance scowled.

"You're scaring yourselves. Pascalia has run off to get attention. You know how bitter she is about not being an heir of Blackthorn! As soon as we find her you know grandfather's going to give her a share of the city – which is what she's wanted all along! She has not gone to raise a Dragon army against us!" he was breathing heavily after his outburst.

Clair opened her mouth to retort, but her grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her up.

"Let's dance," he said shortly, ignoring Cristine and pulling his fiancée to the dancefloor.

Cristine folded her arms huffily. She watched Clair and Lance who appeared to be waltzing and arguing simultaneously. They stood out from everyone else in their evening wear, dressed as they were in floor length black capes. They suited each other, Cristine realised, strange as she found their union.

"Hello Cristine,"

"Rose! How are you? You look amazing!" Cristine smiled, hugging the younger girl.

"Thank you, so do you," Rose smiled.

"And congratulations on your discovery – really first-class stuff."

"Thank you again!" Rose laughed, her brown eyes dancing. Cristine looked into her eyes curiously.

"What?" Rose asked, feeling self-conscious. "Is my make-up smudged?"

"No, no, you look perfect," Cristine said, composing herself.

"How have you been?"

"Really well," Cristine grinned, "although I'm afraid we haven't gotten to the bottom of the declining number of Pokémon business…" she frowned, clearly frustrated.

"Did Elliot have no new leads?" Rose asked in concern.

"None," Cristine said gloomily, "it appears his memory was affected by the attack," she muttered, "he's over there," she said gesturing to another small table on the opposite side of the ballroom. Sure enough there he was. His light brown shaggy hair was the same as ever, but one leg was in a cast and there were a pair of crutches propped up against his chair.

"I'll go and talk to him later," Rose smiled; she had liked Elliot very much.

"So, Medicine huh?" Cristine asked.

Rose shrugged.

"I'm not sure…I would love to, but I feel obligated to finish my Pokémon journey first, but…well…"

Cristine saw her glance towards Tripp who was still dancing with that other girl, and the light seemed to fade in her brown eyes. Cristine blinked in shock as Rose's lifeless brown eyes looked into hers.

"What?" Rose asked, feeling self-conscious again.

"Nothing, sorry!" Cristine said, sounding flustered "I just - I like your make-up is all!"

Rose raised her eyebrows disbelievingly.

"So, what's going on with Tripp?" she said, trying for a change of subject.

"Nothing," Rose said with a stab at nonchalance, "why do you ask?"

"No reason," Cristine replied. She was wise enough to know when to drop a subject.

"Come on and dance you old bore," someone laughed. Rose and Cristine looked up to see Petar, who grabbed Cristine's arm and all but carried her to the dance floor.

Rose decided she rather fancied a drink. The ball was very busy and very lively. Making her way across the dancefloor she grabbed a drink from a tray and walked straight into Jay and Bianca who looked hot from dancing in their evening wear.

"Rose!" Bianca exclaimed beaming at her, "you look absolutely beautiful!"

"Thank you!" she smiled at the blond girl's obvious sincerity, "so do you; is that another of your parents' designs?"

Bianca nodded happily. Her dress was a pretty cascade of turquoise tulle with very intricate stitching on the bodice. It looked lovely with her golden hair and skin and sea-green eyes.

"Come and sit down with us," Jay said, "my feet are killing me!"

Rose passed a happy hour with her two friends, successfully ignoring Amy and Tripp who had not separated for a good while.

"So who were you sat with?" Jay asked.

"Oh! This amazing guy called Horatio Wood; he's a Pokémon doctor."

"Perfect dinner companion for you then," Jay said. He and Bianca laughed; he had told her of Rose's strange love of Medical textbooks.

"Who were you sat with?"

"A couple of researchers, including Professor Willow; they seemed very interested in me, though of course it was mainly your work"

"No it wasn't!" Rose said indignantly, "You worked just as hard as I did! They had every right to be interested in you!"

Jay blushed happily.

"Well, Professor Willow's offered me an internship here in Tarragon City."

"And you're going to take it?"

Jay and Bianca smiled at one another.

"I believe so…Annatto City is really too far away from Tarragon…"

Rose grinned at their obvious adoration for one another.

"But what about you? What are you doing after this?"

Rose sighed as she watched Horatio twirling Lux around the dancefloor.

"I don't know…Horatio offered me an advanced scholarship in Medicine…"

"He what?! For free?!"

"Yeah…but I don't know what to do."

They caught her glance towards Tripp.

"Why don't you go and talk to him, Rose?" Bianca asked softly. Jay sat in silence, saying nothing.

"I don't know…he's drunk for a start. I think I will in the morning though. We need to make a plan."

Soon after, Amy joined their table.

"Hello," she trilled happily, taking a sip from her champagne glass.

"Hello Amy," Jay responded stiffly.

Rose and Bianca looked at the twins curiously; they had never seen them argue before.

"What's up your arse?" Amy asked her brother rather rudely.

"Oh, I think you know," he retorted snidely. Amy ignored him and drank more champagne.

"Do you two want a drink?" Jay asked roughly of Rose and Bianca. They both nodded, shocked at his gruff attitude. He stalked off towards the other end of the dancefloor.

Seeing her brother leave, Amy hastily got up and made to leave the table. She hurried across the ballroom in the opposite direction, but not before Jay caught up with her.

Although they could not hear the argument, Rose and Bianca looked at one another in surprise. Both twins appeared to yelling at one another, both red in the face. Just as those nearest them began to notice something was amiss, Amy fled from the ballroom. Jay stormed off in the opposite direction, much to Bianca's confusion.

"I'd better go and see what's wrong with him," she said quietly.

"I think he's gone into the gardens," Rose said, peering in the direction that Jay had gone in.

"Thanks," Bianca smiled, before bustling off after her boyfriend.

Rose found herself sat alone, wondering what on earth was going on.

-o-

Tripp was lounging at the top of the sweeping staircase that led to their bedrooms. He could hear the thrum of the crowd in the ballroom below him to his right. He closed his eyes and his head swam pleasantly. His eyes snapped open again as he heard quick footsteps.

"What took you so long?" he demanded of Amy.

"Jay," she said, rolling her eyes. Her stupid brother was determined to ruin what she and Tripp had. It infuriated her.

Tripp took her by the hand and spun her around so that she was against the wall. He pressed his body into hers and kissed her deeply. Amy knotted her hands in his hair which was once again falling messily into his eyes. They heard the doors to the ballroom slam shut and jumped apart in alarm. Glancing over the railings they saw that it was only a waiter, on his way to the kitchens for more champagne.

"Come on," Tripp whispered.

He led her to his bedroom and closed the door quietly behind them. Finally alone, he was able to do what he had been refraining from doing all evening. He crushed his lips on hers and groped her behind through the black netting of her dress. He groaned against her neck and she gasped as she felt something pressing into her thigh. Shakily, she attempted to remove his bow-tie but couldn't manage it. Tripp ripped it off himself impatiently and continued to kiss her. He pulled down the zip of her dress in one fluid motion and his hands roamed all over her underwear-clad body. He kicked off his shoes and pulled her towards his bed. She nervously began to undo his shirt, but couldn't do it with her fumbling fingers. Growling in frustration Tripp pulled it over his head and shrugged out of his suit trousers.

He wasn't sure why, but all he could feel was burning anger. Earlier he had felt desire, but it had been replaced and he couldn't seem to shake it off. Amy tried to kiss his neck but he stopped her and claimed her mouth once more. She attempted to stroke the skin of his back, but he found he couldn't tolerate that either. This wasn't a loving experience for him. It was just fun. And he wasn't even finding it that fun – he was too angry.

"Do you want to do this?" he asked her, breathing heavily.

She lay beneath him, still in her underwear. He was scaring her slightly, but she wanted him so much. She nodded.

He unclasped her bra with lightning speed and began to tug at her knickers. Getting the message, Amy pulled them off herself before trying to take his boxers off. Too impatient again, Tripp pulled off his own underwear and hovered above her. She was staring at him with a mixture of fear and desire.

"Do it," she whispered. It was all the encouragement Tripp needed. He kissed her as he entered her so as to stifle the gasp that he knew would come from a virgin. Once she relaxed slightly he continued, both of them panting loudly in the dark bedroom.

**AN: a veeery long chapter. I was going to cut it, but I wanted to fit all of that in. Now, please don't hate me. Although I'd love to hear any insults via reviews… (; there was plenty to discuss here, so I'd be very grateful if you'd drop me a little comment (: Many thanks To Coolevilshark and Anonymouswriter, who I'm pretty sure review every chapter (: I love you both.**

**A x**


	19. Chapter 19

"Jay?" Bianca called through the dark garden.

"Hello Bianca," she heard, much closer than she expected. Jumping backwards slightly in shock she looked down and saw Jay sat against the brick wall of the Laboratory looking wretched.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked, the worry evident in her voice as she cupped his face in her hands. He took her hands in his and kissed them before gesturing that she sit beside him.

"I'm just worried about Amy," he said quietly.

"Amy? Why?"

"Well it's Tripp mainly."

"What about him? You two're good friends, aren't you?"

Jay pressed the palms of his hands into his eyes and groaned aloud.

"What_ is_ it?" Bianca asked.

"He's no good for her!" Jay exclaimed suddenly, "He loves Rose, I know he does. He thinks he can hide it but he can't. And Amy…well. She likes him a lot, and she's stupid when she fancies someone…"

"So you think she's going to be upset when she realises?"

"If only," he laughed humourlessly, "I've seen the way Tripp looks at Amy. She throws herself at him, and he obviously loves the attention…I'm just worried that it'll go further and Amy'll end up being fucked up."

"But how?!"

Jay tugged at his hair in frustration.

"Amy told me that he kissed her last night."

"Why would he kiss her if he likes Rose?"

Jay glowered darkly.

"He told Amy that there would be 'more where that came from' tonight…"

Bianca's mouth fell open.

"But…Tripp's not like that…he wouldn't just _use_ her?" Jay noticed that her tone was not adamant, but questioning.

"That's what I thought at first, but I've been watching them all evening, and he's drunk as a lord…"

"Jay," she said, forcing his grey eyes to meet her sea-green ones, "if she sleeps with him it's her fault, not yours."

"_Sleep_ with him?!" Jay said, aghast, "they wouldn't _sleep_ together!"

"Oh, sorry," Bianca blushed, "I thought that was what you meant."

There was a fury in Jay's eyes that Bianca had never seen there before. He began to get up.

"Jay! Sit _down_!" she said pulling on his arm. He reluctantly slid back down the wall.

"Amy is an adult; she can make her own decisions. Did you say you've spoken to her about this?"

Jay gave a curt nod.

"She was furious."

"Right, well. She's heard your concerns. If she goes ahead and gets hurt it's only her own fault!"

"I'll still kill Tripp."

"For what? Jay, don't ruin a friendship for your sister's selfishness."

Jay continued to stare ahead into the night. He knew that what Bianca was saying was technically right, but he couldn't help but feel slightly sickened.

"It's not only Amy though. How could Tripp do that to Rose?!"

"Does Tripp know Rose likes him?" Bianca asked, interlocking her fingers with Jay's.

"I don't think so," he frowned, "I'm not even sure she _does _like him…she's far better at hiding her feelings than he is."

"Hmm."

"It's just so frustrating, someone's going to get hurt either way."

-o-

"Rose!" Professor Willow called, seeing her across the dance floor, "my dear! Are you enjoying yourself?!"

Rose stifled a yawn.

"Of course Professor, it's a wonderful party."

"Have you had enough?" the old man asked knowingly.

Rose smiled apologetically.

"I was wondering," he whispered to her, putting a thin arm around her shoulders, "if you and Tripp would be able to meet me in the Laboratory Suite tomorrow morning at ten o'clock?" Rose blinked in surprise.

"Of course! But why?"

"All will be revealed!" he chuckled, brushing her off, "Just you and Tripp if you please. Goodnight now Rose."

"Goodnight Professor."

She glanced around the ballroom looking for Jay or Tripp to exchange this exciting, albeit mysterious, news. She couldn't see either of them however. Jay she realised must be outside with Bianca. She would talk to him in the morning. Perhaps Tripp was in his room_? Probably sleeping off the champagne_, she thought, rolling her eyes. She thought of how he had acted with Amy all evening and grimaced. He certainly deserved to be woken – especially if he was going to be hungover. Grinning evilly she made her way up the stairs, gathering her floor length gown in her arms. Five meters from his bedroom door, instinct made her stop. She wasn't sure why but her nerves were screaming at her not to go further. His closed bedroom door suddenly frightened her. What if he was ill? What if he had drunk too much and had collapsed? In her renewed haste she did not hear the faint sounds coming from the room. She wrenched open the door and peered into the darkness. She did not register the clothes upon the floor, so worried was she about her friend.

What she did not expect was a muffled shriek, and an exclamation of "Fuck!"

Still not understanding what she was seeing, Rose quickly looked away as Tripp leapt from his bed and hurriedly pulled on his pants. Only when she saw Amy cowering in his bed, his covers pulled up to her chin did she finally understand.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Tripp yelled at her. He was still so drunk that he was clutching the side of his desk for support. Rose could only gape at him in mute horror.

He staggered towards her in his boxer shorts, stumbling over clothes and shoes. Rose took a step backwards in disgust.

"What do _I_ think I'm doing?" she shouted back at him, "What the hell are _you_ doing?!"

"Why is it any of your business?" he sneered at her, "I can do _what_ever I want with _who_ever I want!"

Amy had slipped out of Tripp's bed and was trying to gather her clothes inconspicuously.

"You're disgusting," Rose snarled, "do you even _like_ her?"

"What does it matter if I like her?" Tripp shouted, lunging towards Rose again, who was forced to stand back.

"Keep away from me!" she screamed, "you make me _sick_!"

Tripp laughed loudly, throwing his head back. He moved closer to her. She could see him clearly now in the light from the landing. His hair was spectacularly tangled and he looked terrible, drunk and staggering as he was. She grimaced in disgust and made to storm away when she saw that his underpants were inside out.

"Did you have _sex_ with her?!" she gasped, feeling physically sick.

Jay and Bianca, who had just reached the top of the staircase, stopped dead upon hearing their screaming match.

"Yes I did," Tripp grinned, "I _fucked_ her. What are _you_ going to do about it?"

"You're foul!" Rose shrieked, her eyes wide with horror, "How _could_ you?! How could you just have sex with someone for the sake of it?!"

"It's just a bit of_ fun_!" Tripp shouted at her, stumbling and catching hold of his bedroom door frame.

"Fun?!" Rose screamed, "_fun_?!" her voice began to crack with the strain of it, "How can it mean so _little _to you? Who the fuck _are_ you?!"

"Jeez Rose! Chill out! It's just _sex_."

"How can it _just _be sex?!" she yelled; she had never felt so confused, so utterly betrayed and so very, very sick.

"Well it's not like it was my first time!" he shouted in her face. Jay and Bianca continued to stare at them in horror.

Rose could only gape at him.

Tripp laughed his horrible, hollow laugh again.

"Did you think I was a _virgin_ Rose?" from the look on her face he knew he was right, "Jeez, how naive _are_ you?!" he sneered.

Rose merely stared at him, finding nothing of the Tripp she thought she knew in this stranger's face.

She took two steps backwards, still staring at him, before making a sprinting break for her bedroom.

"Rose!" Bianca called, but she ignored her. Her bedroom door slammed so loudly the panes of the windows rattled.

"Problem?" Tripp bellowed insolently, raising his arms questioningly at Jay and Bianca who were staring at him, lost for words. He shook his head, lip curled, before slamming his own bedroom door behind him.

Amy was stood uncertainly in the middle of his bedroom. Her eyes were wide with shock.

"You've got your clothes on," he said bluntly.

Amy nodded.

"Get out then," he snapped, "_fuck's_ sake."

As soon as he heard the door close he collapsed onto his bed. His head continued to swim unpleasantly for a while and his stomach churned horribly. Then all went black.

-o-

Rose sat huddled on her bedroom floor, still in her beautiful evening gown. She was beyond thinking, beyond feeling. She felt a chill settle within her and yet, as ever, she was unable to shed a tear.

How could she have got it so wrong? How could she have thought he_ liked_ her? How could she have liked _him_? How did she not realise what he was?

She shook her head to dispel these thoughts which were too painful. She couldn't banish them however, they were stronger than she was. She allowed herself to fall to the floor from her upright position and stared blankly at the underside of her bed. She did not move when she heard her bedroom door creak open. She smelt a whiff of unfamiliar perfume and felt a cool hand brush the long tendrils of hair from her hot face. She allowed Bianca to pull her head onto her lap and she breathed heavily and unsteadily as the other girl soothingly stroked her hair, not saying a word.

-o-

Jay scowled as he heard the door handle to his bedroom twist from the outside. Looking up, his face mutinous, he watched his twin walk towards him. They continued to stare at one another in silence, one defiant, one furious.

"Well I hope you're happy," Amy finally spat.

"I beg your pardon?"

"You know what I'm talking about," she seethed, her grey eyes alight with malice, "you got what you wanted, well done."

"And what did I want?" Jay asked standing up from his desk chair. He was rather taller than her and he glared into her eyes, so like his own.

"You didn't want us to be together!" she said, her façade breaking. Her face crumpled and her eyes filled with tears.

"How can you say that?!" Jay yelled, "I didn't _not_ want you to be with him for no reason! He's no good! Look what he's done to you!"

"Don't you talk to me like that! Like I'm some pathetic idiot!"

"Well what are you?" he asked her, cruelly but honestly, "Do you honestly think that he likes you? Do you ever think he would want to be with someone like you?" her mouth fell open in genuine hurt: "I don't mean it in that way!" he said, throwing his hands in the air, "there's nothing wrong with you, but you would never be right for him!"

"And how do you know?!" Amy screamed at her brother, feeling both hurt and humiliated.

"Because I know him, unlike you! You just want to_ believe_ he likes you! He would never be with a girl who didn't have the same interests as him, because his interests affect his life choices!"

"Why are you defending him?! He slept with me and you're on his side!" she shouted hysterically.

Jay folded his arms and glared at her.

"_He _slept with_ you_? So you had no part in it? You didn't encourage it in any way?"

Amy screamed in frustration.

"So what if I encouraged him? So _what_? I've liked him for ages –"

"But you knew deep down that he didn't like you!" Jay roared, "why would you _do_ this to yourself?! You must r_ealise_?!"

"Realise what?!" she shouted back at him.

Jay shot her a withering look.

"You know what I'm talking about. I don't need to say it"

"SO YOU THINK HE LIKES ROSE?" Amy screamed; she had lost control and looked really quite demented, "IF HE LIKES HER SO MUCH WHY DID HE SLEEP WITH ME?"

Jay couldn't stand it anymore.

"PROBABLY BECAUSE HE THINKS YOU'RE EASY! AND AFTER WHAT I'VE JUST SEEN, I CAN SEE WHY!"

Amy's hand flew to her mouth and, devastated, she ran from her brother's room. Jay lowered himself shakily into his desk chair and covered his face with his hands.

-o-

It seemed like hours later when Rose, exhausted, finally stopped pulled herself from her stupor. She sat up slowly and looked Bianca straight in the eyes. There was no pity there, she found with relief, only concern.

"Thank you," she murmured quietly.

"Don't be silly," Bianca replied. She pulled Rose to her feet and helped her out of her dress. As Rose pulled her pyjamas on, Bianca pulled all of the grips from her long curly hair. Rose made to get into bed but Bianca hung onto her arm.

"You haven't taken your make-up off or brushed your teeth."

Rose shrugged, but Bianca's grip turned vice-like.

"Trust me Rose, tomorrow morning you will not want to look like a mess" she said quietly. Rose caught her eye again and nodded. As Rose brushed her teeth Bianca carefully removed her eye make-up and insisted on plaiting her hair.

"Now you can go to bed," she said quietly, smiling slightly.

"Thank you" Rose whispered. She felt her lower lip beginning to tremble but mastered herself.

"If you need me I'll be with Jay," Bianca said. Rose smiled in thanks, but was secretly pleased when the other girl left the room. Feeling one hundred years old, she crawled into bed and fell into the oblivion of sleep.

-o-

She was woken the next morning by a frantic rapping at her bedroom door. She jumped out of bed immediately, wondering what had happened. Upon spotting her ball gown which, thanks to Bianca, was hung on the front of her wardrobe, she remembered, and felt temporarily winded as the previous night's events washed over her.

The rapping started again.

"Rose?" the Professor called.

Glancing at her bedside clock Rose faintly wondered whether it had gone ten o'clock and she had missed her meeting. It was only half past seven, however.

Pulling open her bedroom door she came face to face with Professor Willow who was wearing his purple dressing gown, his eyes full of tears.

"Professor, what's the matter?" she asked. She faintly wondered if he had heard about Tripp, but shook her head to clear it of such nonsense.

"We've been robbed!" he cried, seizing her by the front of her pyjama top and wailing. Jay and Bianca poked their heads out of his bedroom door on the other end of the corridor.

"Robbed?" Rose repeated blankly, "what's been robbed?"

"The Laboratory! My whole stash of Water Stones!"

Rose blinked in shock. Jay and Bianca ran over to where they were standing.

"But Professor," Jay was saying, "what about the alarm?"

"The alarm was smashed! Ruined! There was no way it could have sounded!" Professor Willow's eyes threatened to overflow.

The four of them rushed down the sweeping staircase and ran along the corridor to the Laboratory Suite. As the Professor had said, the window had given way and the intruder alarm lay smashed in pieces upon the tiled floor. The glass cylinder that once contained innumerable Water Stones was also smashed and was empty.

"Who would _do_ this?" Jay asked in horror.

However, Rose's mind was in overdrive. She remembered, what felt like a lifetime ago, talking to Cristine on Fenugreek Beach. The Pokémon that had gone missing all evolved into Ice types, some with the aid of a Water Stone…

"Professor," she said abruptly, "Is Cristine still here?"

The Professor blinked at the strange turn in conversation.

"Why, yes, many stayed the night, but surely you can't accuse –"

Rose shook her head.

"Of course I don't think it was Cristine" she said quietly, her thoughts still whirring. "Where is she?"

"Well I can hardly permit you to wake her! And so early in the morning!" Rose chose to ignore the fact that that was exactly what the Professor had done to her.

"You can see her at breakfast."

He proceeded to pick up the telephone to call both the police and the glass workers.

-o-

Tripp awoke due to the blinding light streaming in from the window; he hadn't closed the curtains. He immediately shielded his eyes from the light, before clutching his head in agony. Staggering slightly, and still grasping his head he made his way to the bathroom. Once there he lifted the toilet lid and vomited again and again. Shakily he wiped his mouth after his fifth bout. He tried to stand but had to clutch the sink so as to prevent his legs giving way underneath him.

"How much did you drink last night?" he muttered to himself as he made to brush his teeth. Upon seeing his underpants, which were still inside out, Tripp felt the blood drain from his face as the events of the evening, his seventeenth birthday, came flooding back to him. He sat on the edge of the bathtub, staring at nothing in particular. Shame prickled him all over as memories of the evening came flooding back to him, each hitting him one by one like a club to the head. As he finally recalled his shouting match with Rose, his face drained of all colour.

"You absolute, fucking twat," he whispered, "What have you done?"

-o-

Tripp wasn't aware of washing or dressing himself, but at half past eight he found himself walking down the staircase wearing fresh clothes and having damp hair. He blinked upon opening the door to the breakfast hall and finding it full, many of last night's guests having stayed the night. Taking a deep breath he scanned the room. Bianca and Jay looked away from him quickly. Rose appeared to be deep in conversation with Cristine. He felt his face burn red as he tore his eyes from her and continued to scan the room. Amy was nowhere to be seen. He couldn't help but feel relieved. What could he say to her? Sorry?

Taking a seat on his own, he poured himself a black coffee with plenty of sugar. He soon found that even sitting in a room where he could see food was too much for his queasy stomach. Taking his coffee cup, he left the room.

Cristine surveyed Rose as Tripp left the room. She watched him closely, her usually dancing eyes lifeless and hard. Apart from the change in expression, Rose made no sign that she had just seen her former best friend. Cristine admired her composure but couldn't help but wonder what had gone on between the two of them, they who seemed to be so close when she first met them.

"Where're you going?" Bianca asked as Jay rose from his seat.

"I need to talk to him"

Bianca merely nodded.

Jay ran from the breakfast hall into the corridor in time to spot Tripp disappearing into the first floor corridor that led to their bedrooms. Gritting his teeth he followed him.

Tripp started upon hearing a knock at his bedroom door. He then stood frozen to the spot, dreading it being Rose yet hoping against hope that it was her.

He exhaled heavily as Jay stood in the doorway. Jay didn't say a word but closed the door behind him.

Tripp stared at him, at a loss for words.

Jay surveyed the person he had considered a close friend and, to his surprise, felt his anger abating. Sighing he sat on Tripp's bed and gestured that he joined him.

"What the fuck Tripp?" he asked quietly after a few minutes of silence. Tripp continued to stare at his hands. After a while Jay looked over at him and to his utter astonishment saw that he was biting down hard on his lower lip and his eyes, still staring at his clasped hands, looked curiously wet.

"I don't know what you were thinking," Jay continued calmly, "but you hurt a lot of people last night."

Tripp finally dragged his eyes to meet Jay's; he didn't look angry so much as disappointed.

"It wasn't my intention," he muttered.

"But how -?"

Tripp sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I know I was a twat. I was a complete dick."

Jay waited.

"I wasn't out to hurt anyone," he almost snapped.

"And yet you must have known you were going to?"

Tripp swore under his breath and looked away.

"I'm not here to have a go at you," Jay said, "I just want to know if anything's up. You weren't acting like you last night."

"I was drunk."

"You weren't drunk the night before last, with Amy…"

Tripp looked over at Jay again, frowning slightly.

"She told me what you said to her," Jay said, sounding almost apologetic.

Tripp didn't know what to say. There was no excuse for what he had done, really.

"Are you sorry?"

"Just leave me alone Jay" he growled, "I can't be fucked to listen to this."

Defeated, Jay stood up and moved towards the door.

"I know you Tripp; I'm not trying to punish you here."

Tripp refused to answer. He stood up and stared out the window, his fists thrust into his jean pockets.

"The Professor wants to see you today, at ten o'clock, in the Laboratory Suite."

Still, Tripp was silent.

"I think he wants you and Rose to do something for him."

"Rose?" Tripp exclaimed spinning to face Jay, his voice cracking on her name.

"Yes, Rose," he said.

He was looking at him in a weird way - was it pity?

"I can't guarantee she'll talk to you," Jay continued. Tripp reverted back to silence, but Jay could see the turmoil in his eyes, "See you in a bit I guess?"

He closed the door behind him.

Tripp rested his head on his bedroom window, feeling worse than he ever had in his entire life.

-o-

"How long will it take to replace the glass Professor?" Rose asked. She was standing with him in the Laboratory Suite and they were watching the workmen remove the shattered glass from both the window frame and the former Stone cylinder.

"Oh, they said they'd have it up by evening," Professor Willow smiled. It was short-lived however.

They both turned as they heard the door of the Suite open. Upon seeing Tripp, Rose turned to face the Professor once again, her face emotionless.

-o-

"Now, you two," the Professor said, leading them through a door in the Suite they had never been through before, "I have another proposition for you. If you'd like to take a seat?" he asked, gesturing towards the handsome forest green leather sofa, situated in what they took to be his private office.

Rose sat as far as she possibly could from Tripp without looking as though she was making a conscious effort to do so. Tripp, despite his burning desire, could not bring himself to look at her. His hands began to shake and he clasped them tightly in his lap.

"It goes without saying that I am prouder of you than you can imagine," Professor Willow said, "everyone last night agreed that your research skills were outstanding, not to mention your battling skills."

Rose and Tripp sat in a tense silence, waiting for the Professor to get to the point.

"What I'm trying to say is that I know that it was largely due to you two that these experiments took off in the first place. For the past week or so I have been working on a new theory. I did not want to enlighten you in case it turned out that I was very wrong. As it so happens, I believe I am very, very right," Professor Willow felt slightly unnerved by their stony silence, but ploughed on bravely, "I believe I have discovered the potential for two more eeveelutions," still he was met with silence, "If you two wish, I would very much like you to be the ones to carry out these new experiments." Rose opened her mouth to speak but Professor Willow held up a hand to stop her. "Before you agree to any of this, I must tell you that you would not be working together – the very opposite in fact," Rose blinked in surprise, and suddenly became very attentive. Tripp, the Professor noticed, had not once looked up from his knees, "If you are to accept, I would require one of you to travel to Johto and the other to Sinnoh."

Rose felt an overwhelming rush of recklessness. More than anything she wanted to get the hell away from this place and wanted to be able to forget the previous night with the whole of her heart which, although she would deny it, was bleeding profusely. Unfortunately for Horatio, his offer of a scholarship also came under 'the previous night' and so she would have to put that dream to rest…for now.

"I accept Professor," she said.

Professor Willow surveyed her through his thick glasses.

"Now Rose, you hardly know –"

"I don't care. I want to go; the more difficult and dangerous the better."

Tripp noticed the hard, steely edge to her voice and risked glancing at her. She was not looking at him but was fixing the Professor with a determined stare.

"Well! If that's really what you want…Tripp? Do you wish to accept? It will be much of the same work, only alone and in a foreign region."

Tripp found himself agreeing and was handed a humongous file of notes.

"I'd read these over carefully in the next few days," Professor Willow advised, "there is plenty more to take into account than last time. Travelling will need to be undertaken and I'm afraid you'll probably have to sleep rough for parts of the journey," Rose and Tripp nodded in unison, "all expenses will of course be paid," the Professor added, "and let me know when you're certain of the task at hand. If you're still willing, I wish you to depart as soon as possible."

-o-

"Rose?" Jay called from outside her bedroom door, "can I come in?"

She carefully lifted the huge file from where she was resting it on her legs and opened the door.

"Course you can come in," she said.

They sat side by side on her bed.

"I'm sorry about last night," she said, looking him in the eye.

Jay gaped at her.

"_You're_ sorry? What on earth are _you_ sorry for?!"

She shrugged.

"Making a scene I suppose?"

"You had every right to make a scene," he said quietly.

"Jay -" she began.

"I know you don't want to talk about it, hell, I don't either, I just want to know you're okay?"

She smiled weakly at him.

"I'm fine."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I've been better," she admitted, "but I will be fine."

They were silent for a moment.

"How's Amy?"

Jay glanced at her.

"She's…all right. She's going home later today."

"To Annatto?"

"Yeah, I think she wants to get away from here."

"That's her and me both," Rose muttered.

"About Tripp," Jay began, Rose looked at him incredulously.

"You are _not_ about to defend him?"

Jay deliberated.

"Say I'm wrong if you like, you know him better than me, but I wonder if there's something he's not saying. I don't think he's been himself the last couple of days…"

Rose ignored this. Jay sighed, he didn't know why he had expected anything different.

"So what's that?" he asked, pointing to the thick file.

"New project," Rose said, the ghost of a smile on her face.

Jay grinned at her.

"What is it this time?"

"Much of the same," she shrugged, "except I'm going to Johto."

"Johto?!"

"Mhmm"

"For how long?"

"However long it takes I suppose."

"And are you coming back?"

"I'll have to return to report my findings," she said, "Jay?" he looked up at her, "You're my best friend – there's no way that's going to change," he smiled at her and ruffled her hair, much to her annoyance.

"When you leaving?"

Rose deliberated before answering.

"If I pack today, I reckon I could get tomorrow's train to Woodruff and from there I can get the ferry to Olivine City and then find some way to Azalea Town."

"Wow, you've got it all planned out," Jay said, evidently surprised, "you nervous?"

Rose considered his question before answering truthfully.

"No, I'm not nervous," _I don't really feel anything at all_, she added in her head.

"Well I would be, so good on you," Jay laughed. "I'll see you at dinner?" he asked, and smiled in response her nod.

-o-

_I really can't be arsed to do this_, Tripp thought as he read through his file. His hangover headache was still pounding and his stomach growled insistently.

He was going to have dinner late and alone so as to avoid everyone, but decided it might just be better to get it over with.

Rose, Jay, and Amy were sat together eating in silence. They glanced up as Tripp entered the room and then looked back to their meals. Amy's face paled considerably. Tripp sighed inwardly as he took his usual seat next to her and tried not to react when she immediately stood and left the room, half of her dinner uneaten. Tripp could not bear the silence. He ate little, his appetite having diminished somewhat, before making his way back upstairs. Neither Rose nor Jay had said a word to him.

When he reached the top of the staircase, he made to go right along the corridor to his own bedroom, and yet he found his feet leading him to Amy's.

"Come in," he heard her say quietly after he knocked. She gasped upon seeing him in the doorway; he was the last person she expected to see. He moved towards her, feeling nothing but remorse at her pale face and red, watery eyes. She did not move as he made his way over to her, and did not resist as he pulled her into a hug. Only when she felt the top of her hair growing wet from his silent tears did she break the hug to look into his face.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered.

Her lower lip trembled as she took in his wretched face. His eyes were searching hers pleadingly, looking for some sign that she had forgiven him.

"I'm sorry too," she said, closing her eyes and making more tears fall down her pale cheeks.

Tripp pulled her into a hug again and they held one another in the quiet, half packed bedroom.

"I never meant to hurt you," he murmured into her hair.

"I know you didn't," she sighed into his chest. Although she realised they would never be, it still hurt, and she felt yet more of her tears leak from her eyes and soak the front of his t-shirt.

"I- I need to finish packing," she mumbled.

"You're leaving?"

Amy nodded.

"Not…because -?"

"No," she sighed, "I'm all done here. I'm going back home."

Tripp nodded curtly, wondering how on earth he had made such a spectacular mess of things.

Amy reached up on her tiptoes and kissed his lips softly.

"Goodbye Tripp," she said, her voice breaking. Realising she wanted to be left alone, he made his way back to his own bedroom. If he had thought that by apologising he would alleviate some of the guilt pressing on his chest, he was sadly mistaken.

-o-

"Goodbye Amy," Rose said to the girl in front of her. Amy was fully packed, and the taxi that would take her back to Annatto City was parked alongside the kerb.

"Goodbye Rose," she said. As the grey eyes met the brown, Rose felt a lot of things that went unsaid. She smiled at Amy to show her that she both understood and felt the same.

Amy dropped her bags in order to hug her twin brother.

"You be careful," he said gruffly to her.

"You too, don't stay away from home too long," she gave a weak smile.

"I'll visit soon," he promised. He glanced back at the enormous red-brick Laboratory, irritation evident in his features.

"It's okay Jay, we've already said goodbye."

They both knew she was referring to Tripp, and Jay's eyes widened in surprise.

"He even apologised to me…don't go too hard on him," she said, talking mainly to Rose whose lips tightened. Realising Amy was waiting for an answer, she nodded once, but could not elaborate.

"Bye guys."

Amy picked up her luggage and stowed it in the taxi which took off almost immediately. Although Rose and Jay watched the vehicle until it turned the corner out of sight, Amy did not look back once.

**AN: I never really know what to say after a chapter such as this one. I'll leave it up to you guys to tell me what you're thinking (:**

**A xx**


	20. Chapter 20

"You are _quite_ sure that you're ready?" Professor Willow asked in bewilderment as he considered the young man standing before him. It had only been that morning that Rose, too, had insisted that she was ready to travel to Johto, despite having been in possession of her file for a mere twenty-four hours.

Tripp shrugged in response to the question. In actual fact he had only skimmed the file and had barely taken in anything. He was certain that it was Tarragon Laboratory itself that was preventing him from concentrating. The place held a bad feeling for him right now, and all he wanted was to be as far from it as possible.

"Now Tripp, as you know Snowpoint City is incredibly cold, far colder indeed than anywhere in Sesame. As you will most likely be sleeping in your tent, I must ensure that you have the appropriate gear?"

"I have some thermals," Tripp responded hollowly.

Professor Willow pursed his lips. If truth be told, he was unwilling to send Tripp abroad in his current state – whatever that may be – but he recognised the stubbornness in the set of his face and knew that arguing would come to nothing.

"Am I correct in thinking you own a fire type Pokémon?"

"Houndoom," Tripp grunted.

"That should suffice. As you know, the heat given off from the body of a fire type –"

"Can I leave today?" Tripp interrupted rather rudely.

If Professor Willow was either shocked or angered by the interruption he did not show it.

"Of course you may. There is a train leaving from Woodruff at half past two this afternoon. Have some lunch, pack your things and I'll call a taxi for you."

"I'm already packed."

"In that case I suggest you rest up for an hour. This journey will not be the most comfortable."

-o-

Jay was feeling flat. The departures of both Rose and Amy affected him more than he would have realised. He had never been separated from his twin before and even Rose had come to be something of a sister to him in recent weeks. He had absolutely nothing to do. Bianca was working, there was only so much he could say to Tripp and he still had - he checked his watch – over four hours until he was due to meet the Professor.

Sighing audibly he grabbed his towel from the radiator and made his way to the bathroom. With so much spare time on his hands he had no excuse to be anything other than squeaky clean. He jumped slightly in shock as he made to open the bathroom door. Before he had touched the handle it swung open, almost smacking him in the face.

"Hey," Tripp said quietly, stepping around him, his eyes averted.

"Hey," Jay responded, pleased his voice sounded normal, "where are you going?"

Tripp was holding his razor, toothbrush and shower gel.

"I'm getting a taxi to Woodruff in a minute. From there's a train which will take me back to Fenugreek where I can catch a boat to Sinnoh."

"When should you reach Sinnoh?"

Tripp shrugged.

"I dunno. Couple of days I guess?"

Jay nodded slowly. He couldn't deny he was surprised that Tripp clearly had no idea what he was doing.

"Well," he said, clapping him on the shoulder, "have a good time and be careful. I'll see you when you're back."

"You're staying?" Tripp sounded surprised.

"Yeah, the Professor thinks I'd make a good researcher," Jay's cheeks tinged pink.

"I do too," Tripp smiled. His face ached from the effort.

"Thanks…take care yeah?"

"You too."

The boys separated, each feeling the tension between them.

-o-

Rose felt that she could finally relax when she was shown her cabin on the S.S. St. Philip. Before starting out on her journey with Tripp she had never left Chicory Town, and all of _their_ traveling had been on foot. She was surprised at how stressful she had found both the taxi and train ride to Fenugreek. Even more surprising was how tired she felt, considering she had barely moved for the past three hours. Although Professor Willow ensured that she had left with plenty of time to catch the ferry, she was relieved to have been settled in her cabin at half past one, for the ferry set off punctually at two o'clock.

A voice sounded throughout her cabin and the rest of the vessel: "Good afternoon ladies, gentlemen and Pokémon. This is your Captain Raymond speaking. The time is exactly two o'clock and, although you may not feel, it we have already lifted the anchor and are leaving Fenugreek Harbour! We are expected to arrive in Olivine City, Johto, in approximately thirty two hours. So far the outlook is good – strong winds and sunshine which will help us to remain on schedule. The restaurant can be found on the second floor of the ferry alongside the Entertainment Hall. Enjoy the ride everyone," the intercom crackled and went silent.

Rose lay back on her narrow bed and stared upwards at the panelled wooden ceiling. The lulling motion that the boat had started to make was strangely relaxing. She concentrated on the steady lolling of her head on the pillow and, before she had any time to reflect, she was asleep.

-o-

She awoke to the sounds of laughter and chatter from outside her cabin door. Sitting up, she realised that the sky outside her porthole was black, but her cabin was warmly lit with gas lamps. Rubbing her eyes she swung her legs off the bed and noted the time: ten o'clock. She sighed as she realised she had completely messed up her body clock and, ravenous, began rummaging in her rucksack for the sandwiches she knew were in there. As she delved into her bag, her hand brushed against something hard, cool and jagged. She grasped the object and examined it under the cheerful yellow light above her head. A Thunder Stone.

"Now Rose: this is a difficult journey you are undertaking alone," she heard Professor Willow's voice in her head from earlier than morning, "I think it wise to evolve any of your Pokémon that are able to, so as to best prepare you for the unknown…"

Rose had taken the stone from the old man but said nothing.

"I understand that you love Pikachu as he is, but his somatotropin levels have stopped completely. You have nothing to lose from evolving him."

Rose had pocketed the stone and thanked the Professor, but still had not reached a decision. She considered again for a moment, before dropping the stone back into her rucksack in favour of her sandwiches.

When she had finished eating, she soon grew bored of her little room and decided to explore the ferry. Although it was nearing half past ten at night, the ferry was bustling with people and Pokémon. Rose smiled as she took in a deep, invigorating breath of salty air and leant freely over the railings, better to see the choppy waves that shone silver-grey in the light of the moon.

She started as she felt a hand grab the back of her jacket and yank her away from the ferry's edge. She stumbled backwards and almost landed on the person who'd grabbed her.

"Holy crap!" he panted, "You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"What on earth were you _doing_?!" Rose asked indignantly, straightening her jacket where he had caused it to sit awkwardly.

"I thought you were about to jum- hey! You're Rose!" he exclaimed.

Rose blinked in surprise and surveyed the stranger. He was fairly tall and broad in the shoulders. His long, dark blond hair was held back with a headband, revealing a small silver hoop in one ear, and he had astonishingly violet eyes that stood out starkly in his lightly tanned face. She had never seen him before.

"Aren't you?" he asked, frowning as he stared into her face, "you did that experiment with Professor Willow? On the Eevees?"

Of course. It had been on television. How could she have forgotten?

"Oh! Yes! That was me," she blushed deeply to have been caught out – she wasn't used to feeling stupid.

"Absolutely incredible," the stranger said, shaking his head in awe at her, "I've always loved Eevees – there're a whole bunch of them in the town I'm from…I couldn't_ believe_ that there are actually five evolutions…I wish I could have seen them in the flesh…"

"I could show you one of them?" Rose smiled.

"Really?!" he asked, eyes wide.

She released Espeon from her Pokéball and the stranger gasped in delight.

"Wow…that's – unbelievable! Is this one yours then?" he asked as he bent down to stroke the lilac, fox-like Pokémon who wound herself happily around his legs.

Rose proceeded to explain how she had accidently enabled her own Eevee to evolve in this way.

"Hey, if you're passing by Ecruteak City you should come and talk to the Kimono Girls – they own the Eevees I was talking about, and I know they'd absolutely _love_ to see Espeon."

"I'm pretty sure I have to pass Ecruteak City to get where I'm going," Rose said, her brow furrowed as she tried to remember the instructions in her file.

"Where are you off to?"

"Azalea Town?"

"That's like a five minute drive from Ecruteak! I can give you a lift when we dock?" he suggested.

Rose hesitated and the stranger laughed.

"I'm sorry, you don't have any idea who I am," he stuck out his hand, "I'm Morty, the Gym Leader in Ecruteak City."

Rose blinked in surprise.

"You're a Gym Leader?"

"Yup, Ghost type."

"Do you happen to know of Callisto? The Gym Leader in Tarragon?"

Morty laughed.

"She's my cousin and, incidentally, I'm just returning home from visiting her."

"Whoa, if you're related to her you _must_ be good."

"You've challenged her?" he asked, before his eyes came to rest on the Spirit Badge pinned to her jacket, "and _beaten_ her!" he said, the shock evident on his face.

Rose gave a small, embarrassed smile. But she felt rather pleased.

"It was no mean feat," she laughed.

"I didn't realise you were a trainer!" he gaped, "I assumed you were a researcher?"

They made their way to the Entertainment Hall to grab a coffee as they continued their conversation. Rose found it very refreshing to talk to someone new, someone who knew next to nothing about her. It meant she was able to omit the more unpleasant details of her current situation and actually enjoy herself. She and Morty talked long into the night and when she finally arrived back at her cabin at three in the morning she smiled to herself as she realised how good a time she had had with him. Falling back on her bed she fell asleep almost instantly, her mind, for once, free of Tripp.

-o-

True to schedule, the S.S. St. Philip arrived in Olivine City at ten o'clock the following night. Rose and Morty, who were now firm friends, left the ferry together and headed into the city where Morty's jeep was parked.

"Are you sure you don't mind taking me?" Rose asked, holding onto her rucksack uncertainly.

"Just get in," Morty grinned, swinging himself into the driver's seat, "it literally takes me five minutes out of my way, and there's no point in you wasting money staying in Olivine City tonight."

"Well thanks," she grinned back, "I'm grateful."

It was a jolly couple of hours that they spent on the drive to Azalea Town. Morty made her laugh hysterically, playing his CD of rock anthems at top volume as they sped through the dark, peaceful countryside. Rose felt strange, in that she did not want the car journey to end, and she sang along with him at the top of her voice, her throat feeling as though it was going to tear as she tried in vain to sing louder than he did. Morty tried to insist that she spend the night in his spare bedroom, but after many protestations and flushes she got her own way – she really wouldn't feel comfortable putting him out any further, he'd helped her enough already. However, as he dropped her on the quiet, sleepy streets of Azalea Town, she didn't refuse to take his phone number; it was an alarming prospect to be alone and completely friendless in a foreign region.

She waved as Morty's black jeep sped back up the road and out of sight in a haze of dust. Alone again, Rose took in a deep breath and marvelled at her surroundings. It _smelt_ so different to Sesame. There was a warm moisture in the air that was absent in her home region and, although it was strange, she rather enjoyed it. 'Different' was exactly what she craved right now. That being said, Azalea wasn't all that dissimilar to Chicory. There was the forest for a start, and as she wandered the quiet streets she couldn't help but be reminded of the town she had grown up in. All was dark and still, and yet comfortingly so. She had grown so used to the constant brightness and bustle of Tarragon City in the last few weeks that she had almost forgotten what country living felt like. Taking a deep and relaxed breath into her lungs Rose made her way towards the shelter of the forest, a contented smile on her face.

-o-

Her contentment was short-lived. No sooner had she begun to unpack her tent in a small thicket of trees when she was hit with waves of nostalgia so strong they caused her head to spin. She shakily lowered herself to the ground where she sat upon the springy forest floor and rested her face in her hands. It felt so very strange to be doing this alone. The longer she sat there, however, the colder the night air became. When she checked her watch she realised that it was almost one o'clock in the morning – it wasn't wise to sit alone in a strange forest so late. Sighing heavily she got to her feet and began to mindlessly pitch her tent. It had been a long time since she felt as though she had an iron-strong hold on her emotions and her lack of practice was obvious. She consciously had to direct her thoughts away from everything that had happened in Tarragon if she wanted any chance of falling asleep.

When she was finally in her pyjamas and lying in her sleeping bag for the first time in weeks, she wondered if coming here alone was the right decision. Tripp's betrayal (_frontal lobotomy, more like,_ she thought to herself) was all the harder to ignore when she was here alone with nothing but her own will power to distract her from her thoughts. Try as she might she could not help but relive the past week in her mind. She had been so sure that it was _she_ whom he liked. She blushed in the darkness at her own presumptions and wondered for the umpteenth time how she can ever have read the signs so badly. She lay awake for what felt like hours going over and over it all in her mind. This didn't help her in the slightest, for she could find no conclusion. What she really wanted was impossible; she wanted Tripp not to be as he _had_ been, but rather, to never have been anything _but _what he had been. Unfortunately, the concrete state of the past meant that her desires were unachievable. She sighed as she rolled onto her back and stared up at the canvas of her tent. Truly? She now wanted nothing to do with Tripp. He disgusted her, and the very idea of him made her skin crawl – but was he lying when he said Amy was not the first girl he had slept with? Rose frowned to herself. True, he had often travelled with his father to other regions and cities to check on the Pokémarts, but apart from then, which seemed highly unlikely considering he was with his _father_, when on earth had Tripp been around any girls but her? Rose rolled her eyes at her own fruitless analysis and, with a great effort, rolled onto her side once more and attempted to quell the rush of pointless thoughts.

-o-

She felt slightly at a loss the following morning. After having packed away her tent and eaten a banana she couldn't quite decide what to do with herself. She knew her task well enough. She had to train her new baby Eevee, raise its happiness and attempt to manipulate its evolution…somehow. Professor Willow's notes highlighted his theory that the forces of evolution, so commonly believed to be found only in evolutionary stones, may also be present in other objects as _well _as in the sun and moon. Finding out what these objects were was indeed part of the project. The Professor noted that Ilex forest had long been considered to harbour strange powers, evident in the behaviour of Pokémon both belonging to the forest and those passing through. He went on to say, in the file notes, that these behaviours were often reminiscent of 'Happiness', which of course is an incorrect naming of the outlet of power that Pokémon exhibit when nearing evolution…

Rose went over these notes in her mind, but was still no closer to deciding which course of action she should take. As she could not make any worthwhile decision, she decided to explore the town.

-o-

During Rose's slumber on the S.S. St Philip, Jay had met with Professor Willow in his study.

"Four o'clock on the dot. Very punctual Jay; you and I are going to work well together," Professor Willow's beady black eyes twinkled behind his thick glasses.

Jay smiled; his excitement was palpable. Since the age of fourteen he had begun to worry about what he would do when he was older. He wasn't interested in or good enough at battling to become a Pokémon trainer. Contests weren't really for him, and he didn't think he could handle the mundanity of working in a shop all his life…but research? He never would have dared pursue it as a career, never believing he possessed the brains. But here he was, sat opposite the most famous researcher in Sesame, and about to embark on what would probably be a career-establishing internship.

"Now Jay, I have been called to investigate a matter in Sesame. You will not know of it, for only three people other than myself are aware of it. Cristine, you know of Cristine? She is one of the Elite Four - well, it was _she _who brought this matter to my attention."

Jay nodded.

"Clair and Lance have also been made aware of the situation, mainly because it is thought to involve Dragon type Pokémon."

Jay's eyes widened slightly. He wasn't entirely sure he had either the skill or the guts to work alongside Dragon types.

"No need to look so alarmed!" the Professor smiled, "you shouldn't even need a Pokémon to complete this task, so fear not, I do not believe that any battling will be required of you whatsoever."

Jay let out a sigh of relief.

"Now, as you know, there are a number of Garchomp incarcerated inside Dill Rook. They have been there for the best part of ten years and have not, until now, done anything out of the ordinary. You are from Annatto City, are you not?"

"I am."

"As you well know then, Annatto City often experiences earth tremors and landslides due to the strength of the Rock and Ground type Pokémon that live around Dill Rook, which is of course, very near the city."

Jay nodded once again.

"In the last month or two, these earth tremors have escalated into what can be considered mini earthquakes. Rhydon and Aggron are well able to cause such shifts in the earth's crust, but they are not so strong to affect the foundations of buildings," Professor Willow's face was grim, "but this has been happening more frequently in Annatto – no casualties!" he said upon seeing the look on Jay's face, "but something of course must be done. The emergency services are, as we speak, reinforcing the buildings in the city, but it is down to Pokémon researchers to get to the base of the problem. As I just mentioned, Rhydon and Aggron, formidable thought they may appear, do not, even when combined, have the strength of Garchomp. I therefore believe I am right in thinking that these new disasters are due to Dragonish forces, and I also believe that there may be some chemical or cosmic change in the air, the rock, or maybe even the water, that has so changed the behaviour of the Garchomp."

Jay remained silent, wondering what was expected of him.

"As you know Jay, as much as I would love to go scrabbling over mountains and into lakes, I am simply too old. If you're willing, I am confident that you will be perfectly able to carry out this research for me."

"I'd be honoured to, Professor."

"We have but one small problem. As much as you dislike battling Jay, the area is filled with strong Pokémon and you need a means of defence."

Jay gulped. He knew that Vaporeon and Taillow were nowhere near skilled enough to take on the sorts of Pokémon the Professor was referring to, and he also knew that he was nowhere near good enough to even think about training them up to such a standard.

"Which is why I think Rose should go with you."

"Rose?" he repeated blankly.

"Yes. I don't believe she will be more than a week or two in Johto, and I'm sure when she returns she'd be delighted to have you as a travelling companion."

Jay did not ask, but he couldn't help but wonder how the Professor was aware of the rift between Rose and Tripp.

"I believe that the experiment will take a lot longer if you go with Rose, as she is likely to want to visit all of the Gyms and whatnot along the way. However, as long as you do not deliberately dawdle, I think that you could reach Dill Rook in less than two months' time."

"And that would be…okay?"

"I would rather you were safe and the experiment take longer. You see Jay, I'm expecting great things from you and would like you back in one piece."

Jay's mouth fell open in surprise and pleasure and Professor Willow smiled kindly at him from the opposite side of the desk.

-o-

Tripp barely blinked as he boarded the Catamaran. Having travelled a fair amount with his father, nothing was really new to him. He did feel slightly disappointed that he wasn't getting a ferry. Although the journey would have taken considerably longer, he wouldn't have minded some time to rest in his own space. He made his way through the boat and sat on the end of a row of seats, staring vacantly out of the window at the choppy sea. After a dull half hour of passengers choosing their seats and stowing their bags, the catamaran began to move. Tripp checked his watch – half past four.

"Ladies and gentleman welcome aboard this service to Snowpoint City," Tripp blinked and his elbow slipped from where it was resting on the armrest, "may I please request that all Pokémon remain inside their Pokéballs during this journey – the sea is looking rough, but that shouldn't affect our ETA which still stands at eight o'clock this evening. Sick bags are under your seat should you need them," the Captain added ruefully.

Tripp, who had intended to pass the journey asleep turned to the middle aged man next to him.

"Did he say Snowpoint City? I thought the port was in Canalave?"

The man blinked.

"Snowpoint has had its own habour for almost a year now, sonny."

"Oh," Tripp replied somewhat lamely. The last time he had been to Sinnoh was with his father was almost three years ago, and they had docked in Canalave. He couldn't deny he was relieved, if surprised, for now he didn't have to make any effort in figuring out how to scale a region he barely knew. Satisfied, he once again rested his elbow on the arm of his seat and proceeded to fall asleep.

He awoke to the sounds of bodies shuffling down the aisles towards the exit. He stretched and grimaced; the whole catamaran reeked of vomit. It must have been a rough crossing. Yawning, he was thankful that he had a strong stomach for open water and was also thankful that he had been asleep. He couldn't really deal with other people throwing up. After disembarking from the stuffy boat, his first impression was that of immense cold. He felt the skin on his bare arms tighten as they were exposed to the bitingly cold air and shivered violently. As soon as he was on, not dry but rather mulchy, snowy land, he pulled his jumper, jacket and new thermal beanie hat from his rucksack. Although it was still freezing he was marginally warmer, and he followed the crowds to a small platform to await the train that would take them into the heart of Snowpoint City.

So many having been on the catamaran, it was a close and uncomfortable train ride to the city centre. Tripp, who was feeling rather unsociable as of late, stood stony-faced on the small rickety train until, with rude force, he ensured he was one of the first off the vehicle.

Despite the cold, freshness of the air, Snowpoint City was brightly lit. The walkways had been cleared of snow for which Tripp was grateful; the fronts of his trainers were already soaked through. He spotted the Pokémon Centre and made his way towards it, hands thrust deeply into his pockets and his head bowed against the icy wind. He rubbed his hands together gratefully upon entering the surprisingly warm interior of the Pokémon Centre. He left his Pokémon with Nurse Joy before making his way through to the Trainer's Lodge. Feeling severely underdressed he glanced around: all of the Pokémon trainers sat in the Lodge sported snow boots, puffer jackets and earmuffs at least. Tripp made a mental note to find a clothes shop the following day. Sitting down with his hot soup and rice bowl, he decided that he'd definitely spend the night indoors. He and Rose had never stayed in the Trainer's Lodge before, but they had never faced conditions such as these either.

"Can I book a bunk for tonight?" he asked Nurse Joy as he took his Pokéballs from her.

She glanced at his inappropriate clothing with pity in her eyes.

"It's all booked up for tonight I'm afraid," she said.

Tripp sighed heavily. He did not say a word but turned his back and made his way out into the bitter night. He gave an involuntary shiver as he left the warmth of the Pokémon Centre. He had only just begun to regain the feeling in his toes…

After twenty minutes of brisk walking, in which he was still no warmer, he headed off the road into the snow-topped fir trees and searched for a spot to set up camp. He decided to pitch his tent in a thicket of trees – he knew it would be harder, but he should be better protected from the howling blizzards that were sure to come.

The ground was rock hard with frost and Tripp was very thankful for Graveler's help with the tent pegs. Even if Tripp's fingers hadn't been numb with the cold, he doubted that he would have been able to drive the pegs into such unyielding ground. He had been planning to have Houndoom light a fire outside, but the snow had started to fall thick and fast, and he knew that any fire would be snuffed out in minutes. Scowling at the patches of grey-black sky that he could see through the canopy of fir trees, Tripp crawled into his tent.

Even after releasing Houndoom, whose body temperature was roughly fifteen degrees hotter than a human being's, Tripp continued to shiver violently. He was still fully dressed – there was no way he was going to take his clothes off tonight. He smiled slightly as Houndoom pushed his hot nose into his face; it was clear he didn't like seeing his trainer in discomfort. Absentmindedly stroking his Pokémon, Tripp allowed his mind to wander. For the last two days he had felt nothing but a deadened numbness inside him. He could stir up neither feelings of anger nor hurt. If he was honest with himself, he wasn't sure what he was supposed to be feeling. Somewhere along the way everything had become so jumbled in his head. On reflection, he realised that what had passed between him and Amy had been wrong and he was sorry for it. Or was he sorry for being caught? Tripp sat in the darkness alone and probed his own feelings. He knew that Amy had liked him for a while, but he had never liked her in that way. As for Rose – well. He put thoughts of her aside for a while. Was he wrong in doing what he did with Amy? She liked him…did it matter if he didn't like her back? Thinking back on the event he realised that it had felt 'wrong' unlike the time before. He closed his eyes as he remembered the previous summer. He and his father had travelled by ferry to Olivine City to survey the running of a Pokémart that was rumoured to be failing. As it happened, the mart _was_ failing and so the trip took longer than anticipated. Tripp recalled his bored wanderings alone around the area, until he came across Moomoo Farm. He closed his eyes as he remembered the milkmaid, Clover. She was slightly older than him and he was entranced by her. She had creamy white skin, pink cheeks and feathery blond hair. Her kisses had been sweet and soft and they had spent a few summer evenings together in the hay barn…Tripp shook his head fiercely to banish the memories. Try as he might he could not quite recall Clover's face. He was positive however, that when she had lain beneath him, her eyes had not been a bright chocolate brown, nor had her hair hung to her waist in shiny, coppery brown coils…

Tripp groaned as he rolled over onto his back, his palms pressed into his eyes.

-o-

Lance and Clair could only stare at their uncle. His Blackthorn heritage was evident in his thick, straight hair which, like Lance's, stuck straight up, and in his eyes which upturned at the edges, much like a cat's.

"Fernando, we thank you for agreeing to meet with us."

The Champion of Sesame nodded once and continued to survey his niece and nephew from across the table.

"I see you have abandoned the Blackthorn way of dressing?" Clair noted.

Fernando raised his slanting eyebrows at the young woman. Clair blushed and looked down at her knees. If his uncle hadn't been so rude, Lance would have laughed – it wasn't easy to make Clair feel abashed.

"We've come to ask you if you will aid us."

"Aid you?" he finally said. His voice was rough and slightly gravelly; he clearly didn't use it much.

"Yes," Lance continued bravely, "as you know, Annatto City is experiencing terrible earth quakes, and Professor Willow –"

"I have no time for the eccentricities of Professor Willow," Fernando said insolently, leaning back in his seat and staring into the flames of the open fire that he insisted upon having in his rooms.

Lance took a deep, patient breath and continued as though he had not been cut off.

"Professor Willow is positive that it's the Garchomp that are causing the disturbances."

Fernando raised his eyebrows.

"The Garchomp will not break free of Dill Rook".

"How can you be positive?" Clair asked. Fernando surveyed her with his lifeless brown eyes. She flushed with embarrassment once more but did not look away from her uncle.

"I sealed the cave entrance with Fire Blast. No Dragon will be able to penetrate that rock."

"Dragons are the strongest type of Pokémon!" Clair started, her indigo eyes glittering with rage.

Fernando laughed mirthlessly.

"Aah, the arrogance of the Dragon Tamers…"

"_You're_ a Dragon Tamer by blood," Lance said defiantly.

"And yet I do not appear to be limited as my brothers, and you, evidently are."

They waited in silence for him to continue.

"Dragon types are unquestionably one of the strongest types of Pokémon - when untrained. An untrained Dragon will be more powerful than an untrained water type, for example."

They continued to watch their uncle, who looked indescribably weary despite his young age.

"However, any Pokémon, if properly trained, can easily overcome a Dragon type Pokémon."

"But –" Clair began.

"You are blinded, Clair, by the arrogance of our forefathers. _Yes_, Dragons are strong, but it is _our bloodline_ which makes us formidable trainers, and thus reinforces the strength of the Dragons. If either of your fathers had decided to train another type, as I have, they would realise that all types, fire, water, electric, or even grass type Pokémon for example, can be as strong as Dragons."

"So…you're saying…?" Lance began, with a frown on his face.

Fernando sighed.

"I'm saying that our bloodline, as you well know, comes from those long ago who first managed to capture and train Pokémon. Whatever runs in our blood gives us this unusual pull over these creatures. Our ancestors, wanting power, pursued those Pokémon whom all feared above all others, Dragons, and subdued them to their will. And thus the 'Dragon Tamers' were born. We of Blackthorn have a stronger connection with _any_ type of Pokémon than your average trainer has. It just so happens that our ancestors chose Dragons, and nobody thus far has deviated."

"Except you."

"Except me."

"So you're saying," Lance began, he felt infuriated for some reason, "that your fire type Pokémon are a match for my Dragon types?"

"They're more than a match for them," Fernando continued lazily, "I would annihilate you."

Lance sprang to his feet, and Clair put a restraining hand on his arm.

"Then I challenge you uncle," he spat.

Fernando put his hands behind his head and leant further back in his leather armchair.

"Lance, I do not wish to fight you."

Lance's eyes flashed in triumph, "We're both Champions," he said "we have the same ranking. Technically we're evenly matched. I have the superior type and you have more experience."

Fernando rose from his seat, the ghost of a smile on his handsome face.

"Have you listened to a word I've said? If properly trained, type will have no advantage whatsoever."

Clair too rose from her seat, her face a mask of incredulity.

"Let me ask you one question, uncle - I just want to ensure I understand what you're saying."

Fernando motioned that she proceed.

"So you're saying…a 'properly' trained grass or ice type would _not_ be extra affected by your fire type Pokémon?"

"Precisely."

Clair blinked in surprise; she thought she had caught him out on this point.

"When Pokémon are as strong as they possibly can be, it relies on the strength and skill of the trainer alone, which is where our Dragon Tamer blood is a bonus," he allowed himself a smile, "if a fellow Dragon Tamer, as skilled at battling as I am, challenged me to a fight using only grass or ice type Pokémon, we would be evenly matched and I do not believe there would be a winner."

"You're wrong," Lance said simply, although Fernando could hear the doubt in his voice.

"Am I?" Fernando asked mildly.

"There's only one way to find out."

**AN:**

**The next instalment! I hope you enjoyed! This chapter was a bit of a filler, so hopefully some more interesting stuff will go down next time! I'd love to hear your thoughts on Fernando/Fuego's theory (:**

**Love A xx**


	21. Chapter 21

Rodolfo and Cornelio exchanged knowing glances as they heard Clair and Lance's tale.

"Well?!" Lance all but roared, furious at his father and uncle's silence.

"Well what Lance?" Cornelio asked.

"Your grandfather_ did_ warn you to tread carefully around Fernando, son," Rodolfo continued.

"Is that all you can _say_?" Clair asked in shock; she turned to Cornelio, "Father, if it had been me would you still be so calm?!"

Cornelio continued his pacing around Dragon's Den. The story had been sensational, shocking even, but what could honestly be done?

"Clair, Lance challenged Fernando to a battle and he lost…I do not know what you expect us to do about it."

Clair, however, could see the confusion in her father's eyes.

"And what about his opinion on Dragons? That they're really no stronger than any other type?"

"I would never have believed it," Rodolfo cut in, "but if he beat Lance…Lance who is supposed to be the most skilled Dragon Tamer for a _very_ long time…"

"Fernando was always a very talented trainer," Cornelio said quietly, as he reflected on their childhood. Although the younger, Fernando had frequently bested him and Rodolfo in training.

"He was very odd," Rodolfo said, frowning, "on his tenth birthday he flat out refused the Dratini our father - your grandfather - gifted him in preference for a fire type he'd befriended in the mountains."

"And he was always very defensive of his decision," Cornelio went on, "we were happy to split Blackthorn three ways instead of the usual two, but he wished to go his own way…"

"This is all very interesting," Lance snapped, "but it doesn't help that he _beat_ me yesterday and with _ease_!" Lance's skin, tanned from his flights on the back on Dragonite, flushed brick-red.

Clair frowned as she took in Lance's words as though she were trying to make sense of something.

Rodolfo sighed heavily.

"I believe your problem, Lance, is not that you were beaten, but that after all these centuries our ideologies have been incorrect."

Lance gaped at his father.

"Indeed," Cornelio pressed, "if Fernando had beaten you with Dragon type Pokémon, would you be in such a state?"

Lance considered his uncle's words and fell silent. What the older men were saying was essentially true; it wasn't being beaten that rattled him, although it was something of a shock, but rather that a trainer of a type _other_ than Dragon had beaten him.

"I must say, I'm both aghast and impressed," Rodolfo said, smiling wryly to Cornelio.

"How we laughed at him in our teenage years," Cornelio shook his head, "it would appear that his claims of 'Dragon Tamer arrogance' were, in fact, grounded in truth."

The foursome fell silent as they reflected on the fact that their headstrong relative was right; there was not much special about Dragons after all…it was _them_.

-o-

"But no news of Pascalia?"

This was the reaction of Blackthorn City's Elder upon hearing that his youngest son had in fact crashed down the barriers that they had all structured their lives around for generations.

"No father," Cornelio said quietly.

Cornelio, like the rest of the family, believed that Pascalia had chosen to leave the city. He knew his youngest daughter, and he knew of her ambitious nature. Although Clair's fears of her raising a Dragon army did not touch him, he was positive that Pascalia, almost like Fernando in a sense, had left in order to prove herself, and would only show herself when she saw fit.

"You must stop worrying so much, grandfather," Lance urged, kneeling beside the Elder and grasping the old man's cold hand in his young, strong one, "and you must eat. You are growing frail."

The Elder slid his hand from Lance's grasp and continued to stare into the Dragon fire in the hearth.

"We must find her," he whispered, as though Lance had not spoken at all.

-o-

It didn't take Rose long to scale the whole of Azalea Town. She bought some food supplies at the Pokémart, and wandered the cobbled streets as she munched on her cereal bar. A Pokémon Centre, a Pokémart, a closed Gym, a few small shops and houses, and that was all. She couldn't help but feel slightly put out; she had hoped for a slightly more interesting place in which to stay. As she approached the edge of the forest she noticed a small, wooden house that appeared empty. The sign outside proclaimed it as being 'Kurt's House, maker of Pokéballs'. Although interested, Rose put the house from her mind; 'Kurt' clearly didn't live here anymore.

From above came a cracking rumble of thunder and a flash of lightening. Rose groaned as she made quickly for the forest. She hadn't anticipated that the warm air signalled a storm. Remembering that her tent was pitched in a clearing, she sprinted for the place – she had left some of her clothes hanging on nearby trees.

Thankfully she managed to reach the place before her clothes got wet and stored them safely back inside the tent. Considering the rain barely touched her when under the dense forest canopy, Rose decided to make head-way with her experiment. She wandered through the trees fairly happily, unsure exactly what she was looking for but enjoying herself nonetheless. The forest was murky and damp, and raindrops fell lightly between the leaves. The undergrowth was rather soft and springy, and Rose thought she heard the scurrying of Pokémon as she made her way along the winding path.

"Farfetch'd!" something squawked as it dived towards her from a nearby tree. Rose shrieked and covered her head with her arms. When she peeked through the gap in her arms she realised that the danger had passed. Straightening up she peered through the trees but couldn't spot the bird Pokémon. She turned abruptly on the spot when she heard two sets of feet running towards her.

Two boys, one slightly older than her and one slightly younger, came to a halt upon spotting her, panting to catch their breath.

"Did…you…see…it?" the younger one gasped, his hands on his knees as he struggled to regain his breath.

"See what? That Pokémon?"

"Farfetch'd," the older one supplied grimly. As he looked into Rose's eyes, he smiled. Rose couldn't help but smile back.

"He's ours," the younger boy said, pushing his honey blond hair out of his green-grey eyes, "he took off a few weeks back and we haven't been able to catch him."

"Would you like some help?" Rose offered; she had nothing else to do but walk the forest - she may as well be helping someone along the way.

"Yes please!" the younger boy grinned, "I'm Jack, and this is my brother Damien."

"I'm Rose," she smiled.

"What're you doing here, Rose? I've never seen you around here…" Damien asked, staring at her.

Rose flushed slightly as she looked away from him.

"I'm just doing some research on Eevees," she said, "you wouldn't happen to know anything about chemical evolutionary forces in this forest would you?"

They both looked at her blankly.

"We just make Pokéballs…" Jack said slowly, sounding impressed.

"Well we did," Damien said, "until Farfetch'd ran off."

"Pokéballs…" Rose said to herself, frowning.

"We're Kurt's grandsons," Jack said helpfully, "there're four of us brothers, Sam and Will too. We took over once Grandpa died."

"Took over?" Rose was growing more and more confused.

"You're not from Johto are you?" Damien smiled. He could have guessed as much. He'd never seen a girl like _her_ in Johto.

"Sesame," she said.

"Ah, well, our Grandpa was pretty well known throughout Johto, he made the best Pokéballs, and now he's gone we've taken over!"

"Didn't your parents want to take over?"

"They died not long after Jack was five."

"I'm sorry," Rose said quietly.

"Don't worry about it," Damien waved a breezy hand at her.

"What happened?"

"Car crash. Sam, he's the oldest, was only ten, and so we came to live with Grandpa. His little house wasn't big enough for all of us and so he built a new cabin deeper in the forest."

"When did your grandfather pass away?"

"Last year," Jack said, his eyes downcast.

"It was pretty tough," said Damien, "and it was pretty weird when Maisie left too."

"Maisie?"

"My twin sister," said Jack.

"She went to go and stay with our aunt and uncle in Lilycove City in Hoenn," Damien added.

"She's always loved Pokémon contests, and I don't think she wanted to live with four brothers," Jack grinned ruefully.

Rose laughed, "I can't say I blame her."

"Do you have any brothers? Or sisters?"

"Nope, I'm an only child."

"Wasn't that lonely?" Jack asked, astonished. Being one of five he couldn't imagine growing up without any children around.

Rose's mind unwillingly strayed to Tripp.

"N-no, there were children in my village so it was fine," she quickly changed the subject, "so how do you guys make Pokéballs?"

She felt rather silly now she thought about it – she had no idea how they were made. She had always envisioned factories if anything; she found it fascinating that these boys made them in a forest cabin.

"We use apricorns," Damien said, "but it's a bit of a family secret," he grinned, "sorry."

Rose laughed good naturedly.

"I understand…but you need Farfetch'd?"

"We do," Jack sighed.

"He's been on the run for a good few weeks, we haven't been able to make any Pokéballs…Sam's doing his nut. He thinks we won't have enough money for winter."

Rose chewed her lower lip, her brow furrowed with worry.

"Come on, I'll help," she said, "let's go catch that Farfetch'd!"

-o-

Two and a half hours later the threesome were feeling very dejected. They had only managed to catch up with Farfetch'd twice and both times they had failed to recapture it. Rose noticed that the times they had come closer to catching the runaway Pokémon had been when they were nearer the edge of the forest. She wondered what it was about the heart of the forest that was causing the bird Pokémon to act so erratically.

"What a waste of time," Damien huffed, pushing his sweaty blond hair out of his grey-green eyes - so like his brother's.

Rose chewed on her bottom lip. She felt terrible; not only had she failed in general, her two new friends were going to suffer further for it.

"Shall we try again after lunch?" Jack asked hopefully.

"Not much point," Damien replied, "we need to let Farfetch'd calm down before we bother trying again. Fancy coming for lunch Rose?"

He smiled into her eyes. Rose felt herself blushing as she stammered to reply.

"No, no, but thank you!"

There was no way she was going to go and eat their food when they had no money to last them the winter.

"Well, if you're bored tomorrow, feel free to come Farfetch'd hunting!" Jack laughed.

"We get a break tomorrow," Damien yawned, stretching his arms behind his head, "where're you staying Rose?"

"In the forest," she grinned, "I'm camping."

"What?!" Damien exclaimed in horror, "Stay with us! We have a spare room!"

Rose blushed harder this time.

"Thank you for the offer, but really, I _like _camping."

"Hmm," Damien replied, narrowing his eyes, clearly thoroughly unconvinced.

"Well I'm going back to Azalea," Rose said quickly, avoiding Damien's eyes, "see you 'round?"

"Yeah, see ya!"

"Bye Rose."

-o-

Tripp awoke in the middle of the night, feeling horribly reminiscent of the nights on Tarragon Mountain. His hands and feet were throbbing with the cold and his head was pounding. He could see his breath form in pearly spirals as it left his mouth through his chattering teeth. Houndoom was curled up next to him, but even his elevated body temperature wasn't doing Tripp much good.

"Houndoom?" he whispered, nudging the wolfish dog Pokémon.

His Pokémon yawned and stretched, bathing Tripp in a rush of warm breath which made him shiver all the more violently.

"Come light a fire outside," he said, unzipping the tent and glancing at the overcast, but dry, night sky.

Houndoom blasted a Flamethrower at the pile of wood outside the tent, but it simply smoked, being soaked through.

Tripp sighed as he dismantled the pile of wood and had Houndoom lie on the separate branches until his warm body had dried them out enough to ignite. This took the best part of half an hour, and by the time the wood was crackling merrily, Tripp could feel neither his fingers nor his toes. Despite the creeping chill of the night air, Tripp felt slightly warmer by the open fire. Houndoom could sense his discomfort and crawled onto his lap. Tripp gratefully wrapped his arms around his Pokémon and leant back against the tent, his eyes closing heavily in sleep.

-o-

When morning finally broke, Tripp woke up. He felt stiff and achy having leant against the tent all night, but only a little cold to his surprise. Houndoom had managed to keep him warm although the fire, judging by the lack of smoke, had burnt out a while ago. To Tripp's relief the sun was shining fairly brightly and he packed up his tent and his Pokémon in record time and made his way back to Snowpoint City. He could really do with some hot food and a hot shower.

Yawning he entered the Trainer's Lodge and revived over a bowl of porridge and a bacon sandwich.

"Did you hear about Lance?" Tripp heard someone say.

"No, what?" another voice replied, evidently interested.

Also interested, Tripp turned slightly in his seat. Two women, one dark haired and one ash blond, were chatting over a cup of coffee. He blushed when the blond woman caught his eye and raised her eyebrows questioningly.

"Sorry," he stammered, "it's only…I know Lance…I…I wouldn't want anything to have happened to him."

"How do _you_ know Lance?" the dark haired girl asked; her disbelief was rather insulting.

"He was visiting Sesame recently…"

The blond slapped a hand to her forehead.

"You're Tripp!"

Tripp looked at her blankly.

"You worked with Professor Willow, on the Eevee experiment!"

"Oh right. Yeah, I did."

"Amazing," the dark haired girl breathed, as she too recognised him, "so what are you doing here? More research?"

Tripp's mouth hung open, he wasn't entirely sure if he should be sharing information with strangers.

"I'm Candice," the dark haired one said, extending a hand to him, "I'm the Gym Leader here."

"And I'm Cynthia," smiled the blond woman, "Sinnoh's Champion."

"Wow," Tripp breathed, shaking her hand.

"So are you researching?" Candice pressed.

"Yes," Tripp grinned, "but that's all I'm telling you," he laughed. The action felt foreign to him after days of numb misery, "so what's the news on Lance?"

Cynthia glanced around the café before leaning in and whispering, "We heard that he was absolutely _annihilated_ by Sesame's own Champion."

Tripp blinked in surprise.

"His uncle?"

Cynthia and Candice's mouths fell open.

"They're _related_?" Candice gaped.

"That's what Lance said," Tripp shrugged.

Cynthia and Candice looked at one another in astonishment.

"Did you know that?"

"Hadn't a clue," Cynthia replied.

"So was it a friendly battle?" Candice asked Tripp.

"How do I know?" he asked, "I didn't even know they battled!"

"Well they did," Cynthia smiled, "and the word is that Lance lost."

"You sound happy about that," Tripp laughed.

"Well, he beat me once and he was an arrogant little twerp about it," Cynthia said rather stiffly.

"Has anyone beaten him before?" Candice asked, frowning.

"Never apparently," Cynthia said.

"But his uncle did?" Tripp asked.

"Well, _you're_ the one who said he was his uncle! But supposedly, yes, he beat him."

"What type does Sesame's Champion train?" Candice asked with a frown.

"Fire apparently," Cynthia replied, "Is that right?" she asked, turning to Tripp.

"I think so," he said, "so go the rumours…but is it even for a fire type trainer to beat a Dragon type trainer?"

The two females looked stumped.

"Well, I wouldn't have thought it possible," Cynthia said slowly, "a well-trained Dragon is supposed to be practically invincible…"

"Well they clearly aren't," Tripp grinned.

"Assuming the rumour is true," Candice stated.

"Where did you hear it?" Tripp asked.

"From Cristine, you know, Sesame Elite Four?"

"You know her?" Tripp asked.

"Yeah, ice type trainers meet regularly to share tips and train. I have her phone number, she called me about it last night."

"Well then I'd say it's definitely true," Tripp smiled, "Cristine has more to do with Fuego than anyone."

The two women pondered this, before turning simultaneously and smiling at Tripp.

"What're you doing today?"

-o-

"Rose! _Rose_!"

Rose ceased her meandering of Azalea's streets and turned to see who was calling her name. Morty was running down the road towards her looking rather red in the face.

"Hi Morty!" she grinned, "what're you doing here?"

He looked comically taken aback as though he had not expected the question. His eyes widened and his mouth fell open slightly.

"I…er -" he seemed at a total loss for words.

Rose raised her eyebrows questioningly.

"Fancy grabbing some lunch?" he managed, turning increasingly more pink.

"I'd love to!" she grinned, linking his arm, "Trainer's Lodge?" she asked.

"Well, there's quite a nice café in Ecruteak…y'know…unless you're busy?" his eyes appeared to be glued to his boots.

"I'd love to see somewhere new! Is it far to walk?"

"Well I've got my jeep," he said shyly, "it's only a five minute drive?" he looked up into her eyes.

Rose felt a jolt of shock as she registered the way he was looking at her. His violet eyes were hopeful and she could almost feel the nervousness radiating from him. She wasn't entirely sure what she should do in this situation and, unfortunately, she did not have the luxury of time to make a rational decision.

"I'd love to," she said quietly, wondering what on earth she'd just signed herself up for.

-o-

"Shall we go for a walk?" Morty suggested after they'd finished their lunch.

Rose nodded and grabbed her coffee. She had been pleased, and a little relieved, that Morty had reverted to his usual chatty self over lunch. She wasn't sure she could cope with anything more at the moment – especially when she was so confused over and disgusted by Tripp.

Morty showed her around the ancient city of Ecruteak; they passed the Burnt Tower, the Tin Tower, the Dance School, and the many charming, grey stone houses and antique shops. Leading her slightly outside of the city, he stopped in a small Berry Orchard. Bird Pokémon were twittering in the trees and the warm, slightly stormy, air created a pleasantly close breeze. Rose froze as she felt him take her hands in his.

"Rose," he said quietly. She stared up at him, half flattered, and half horrified at the turn their lunch had seemed to take, "Rose, when I saw you - on the ferry - I thought you were the prettiest thing I'd ever seen…"

Despite her confusion and shock, Rose could feel the blush creeping involuntarily up her neck. He thought she was pretty…and he was rather good-looking himself…

Feeling a sense of recklessness, Rose raised herself up onto her tiptoes and kissed him gently on the lips. He froze in shock at her boldness and merely stared at her through wide eyes when the brief kiss broke. She stared right back at him, the blood roaring through her ears in a rush of emotion she did not have time to decipher.

Then, taking her face in his hands, he kissed her more urgently. They stumbled backwards until Rose's back was up against a berry tree. She gasped as his hands travelled down her sides towards her behind but stopped at her lower back. She could feel his warm hands through her light, cotton top and shivered slightly as he shifted and they made contact with her bare skin. She pulled away and stared at him through wide brown eyes.

"Morty…"

"It's okay," he smiled as he stroked her cheek, "I know you wouldn't want to start anything…"

She looked at him questioningly, aware that his warm body was still pressing hers into the tree trunk behind her.

"I don't suppose you're looking for a 'boyfriend'," he grimaced at the term, "but I just so wanted to kiss you…"

He smiled at her flushed cheeks and bright eyes as he pulled a twig from her long curly hair. Rose was at a total loss for words. She couldn't believe what had just happened. She had never kissed anyone before except Tripp, and she couldn't seem to unjumble her thoughts. Kissing Tripp had been completely different; everything with him seemed to have a metallic edge to it somehow, but with Morty she didn't have to think at all…

Rose could feel her blood heating her skin almost unbearably as she stared into his face. She began to chew her lip in confusion and looked away from him quickly.

"What is it?" he asked gently, wrapping his arms around her waist.

She glanced up at him once more, into his violet eyes which were gazing softly into hers.

"How old are you?" she finally asked. She couldn't trust herself to say anything else in her current state of uncertainty regarding her own feelings.

"I'm twenty-one," he said, wrinkling his nose, "you?"

"I'll be seventeen next month," she laughed, all nervousness evaporating. She hadn't realised he was that much older than her. Somehow it didn't matter. She laughed harder when she registered the look on his face. He attempted to remove his arms from where they lay comfortably against her hips, but she wouldn't let him.

"It doesn't matter," she grinned, her eyes sparkling. She placed her hands on his chest and winked, "it's not as though anything truly _scandalous_ has happened…"

She whispered the last part, and Morty gulped as her brown eyes held his until he could feel his heartbeat in his throat. Her eyes fluttered closed and Morty couldn't help himself. They continued to kiss, softly at times and more forcefully at others. Standing became too hindering, and so they moved to lie in the high grassy ground together in the flowery orchard, until their lips were swollen and their heads span.

After a while they lay in a comfortable silence next to one another on their backs, staring straight up at the cloudy blue sky and rustling tree tops. It was a beautiful, quiet place. The high grass shielded them from any prying eyes – not that there were any in the peaceful orchard.

"How long are you here for?" Morty asked, turning to face her.

"Until I finish my experiment," she said quietly.

"And how's that coming along?" he asked; Rose could hear the restrained laughter in his voice.

She looked over at him and saw that he had propped himself on one elbow and was grinning down at her. She launched herself on top of him and smiled at his shock and appreciation. She kissed him softly on the lips and laughed as his violet eyes became unfocused and hazy.

"It was coming along just fine, until _someone _interrupted me…" she nipped his lower lip.

"Funny," he muttered, rolling over so that she was pinned underneath him, "I was under the impression that you were grateful for the interruption…" he kissed her slowly and deeply until she began to grow dizzy.

"Morty?" she said, desperately trying to stay in control as he kissed her neck.

"Mm?"

"This can't…we can't…_be_ anything."

He glanced up at her and smiled.

"I know," he said lightly, a little too lightly, as he returned his attention to her neck, "but this is nice isn't it? Can't we just enjoy each other's company until you have to leave?"

He looked up at her earnestly, the intensity in his violet eyes betraying the supposed flippancy of his words.

"Yes," she whispered, running her hands through his long, dark blond hair.

-o-

Hand in hand they made their way back to Ecruteak.

"Thanks for getting lunch with me," Morty finally said.

Rose looked up at him and saw that his lips were twitching. She laughed merrily at his attempt at nonchalance, before flushing happily as he took her in his arms in full view of Ecruteak's citizens. A few people from the town looked curiously at their Gym Leader, but nobody said anything.

"I'm in the Gym all day tomorrow," he said, looking annoyed, "but would you like to come to mine in the evening? I can cook?" he added hopefully.

Rose smiled up at him, feeling as though she was being lit up from the inside out.

"I'd love to," she said.

He kissed her on the nose, unable to conceal his happiness.

-o-

"So you're here to discover _another_ new type of Eevee?" Candice asked as she rummaged through the wardrobe, "and you think it might be_ ice_ type?!" she threw some clothes at Tripp, "These were my brother's, you're about the same height, they should fit you."

Tripp gratefully accepted the snow wear.

"You're sure he doesn't need them?"

"He's been on a journey for over a year now and nowhere's as cold as Snowpoint. And stop avoiding my questions!" she laughed, throwing him a pair of navy earmuffs.

Tripp grinned as he caught them.

"Well I'm only guessing it might be ice type – but honestly, what else can it possibly evolve into around here? There've got to be more ice types around this town than anywhere else in the region – maybe even in_ all_ the regions."

Candice nodded.

"There's the Ice Path in Johto, but apart from that there aren't really any places where you get massive groups of ice type Pokémon…"

"Hence my guess," Tripp said.

"Well, if you manage it, you have to let me know," she said seriously, "I would absolutely _love_ an ice type Eevee."

"After what you've done for me, you'll be the first one I tell," Tripp said gratefully and truthfully. Hearing that he had been camping in the woods, Candice had offered him the camp bed in her office at the Snowpoint Gym.

"It's hardly luxury," she said, "but at least you won't be freezing your arse off."

"Trust me, compared to last night this will feel like the lap of luxury…"

Candice laughed, "Well you're very welcome."

"And you definitely don't know of any places in the woods where Pokémon act weirdly or erratically?"

"Nope," she frowned, "to be honest I don't go into the woods much…it's pretty dangerous, the Pokémon are powerful around here."

Tripp nodded, but he wasn't really concerned.

"But it's been so boring around here lately," Candice said moodily, "come September people stop visiting Snowpoint until March really, when the worst of the blizzards end…makes me quite tempted to undergo a dangerous forest excursion!"

"So you get no Gym challengers?"

"Hardly any," she sighed, "it really is dire here in the winter."

"Well, I need to keep on top of my training…" Tripp said slowly, "and God knows I haven't got much to do around here…if you fancy a battle buddy that is?"

"Really? You'll train with me?" Candice's whole face seemed to light up.

"I could really do with it," Tripp laughed, "I dread to think how rusty I've become recently."

"Let's start right away!" she said, grabbing him by the arm and dragging him towards the Gym, "and just so you know, I won't go easy on you!"

-o-

Rose spent most of the following morning and afternoon training her new Eevee. She was pleased with her progress. Now that she was doing the experiment the second time around she knew exactly what she was aiming for, and was both pleased and surprised when Eevee's somatotropin levels had decreased by almost half. She decided to go on a leisurely stroll around the forest whilst she ate her sandwich for lunch. She kept Eevee trotting by her side in the hopes that they may come across some unusual pocket of evolutionary energy. She blushed as her thoughts strayed to Morty. She wasn't sure what it was about him exactly…she hadn't thought of him that way at all on the ferry, but when he kissed her…she grew unbearably hot all over and shook her head slightly. These thoughts scared her. Why the hell was she thinking this way at all?

Rose stopped dead when she heard a rustle through the trees after about half an hour of walking. She kept still and quiet, wondering if it might be Farfetch'd. After a minute or so, however, she heard voices and knew it wasn't a Pokémon. Through the trees emerged two boys. Rose blinked – they looked a lot like Damien and Jack; these boys shared the same honey blond hair and grey-green eyes – they were quite clearly the other two brothers.

They stopped dead upon seeing her.

"Hello," the older one said uncertainly; it wasn't every day that they found strange girls in the forest. The younger one started as he spotted the Eevee sat by Rose's feet.

"Hey! This must be Rose!" he said to his older brother, "are you Rose?" he asked.

Rose laughed good naturedly.

"Yes I'm Rose, I'm guessing you're Sam and…Will?" she asked, remembering.

"That's right," Will, the younger, grinned.

"I heard that you helped Damien and Jack look for Farfetch'd," Sam said to her in his deep, rumbling voice, "thank you."

"It was my pleasure," she shrugged, "I'm just sorry I wasn't more help."

"He's a fast bugger," Sam said, scratching his head, "but we'll get him."

Rose could only admire his grim determination.

"Well let me know if you need my help," she offered, "I'm camping over there in a clearing," she said, gesturing towards the east.

"You're camping?!" Will asked incredulously, "why don't you stay with us? We have two spare rooms now that Maisie's gone!"

Rose laughed.

"That's really very sweet of you," she said, "but I quite enjoy camping."

"Well we need to get back," Sam said, nodding at her, "see you around?"

"Bye," Rose smiled.

The two boys continued their way through the trees and out of sight.

"Eevee?" the little Pokémon asked.

"I'm fine," Rose grinned, looking down at the fox-like creature, "but I'll be damned if there are _any_ girls in this region!"

-o-

Morty pursed his lips as he took in Rose's living arrangements.

"You know, I'm really not being forward when I say you should stay at mine…"

Rose laughed at him as she bundled her things in her rucksack. Now that she was back in his presence all her feelings of nervousness and worry had disappeared.

"Honestly, I'm fine here. I'm not so sure why everyone's desperate for me not to camp…" she muttered to herself.

"Huh? Who else said that?" Morty frowned.

"Just some guys who live here in the woods."

"Kurt's grandsons?"

"You know them?"

Morty nodded.

"They're decent guys. Not sure I want you staying with them though," he laughed as he eyed her appreciatively.

Rose rolled her eyes but couldn't help but feel flattered.

"Right. You ready?" Morty asked, taking her rucksack from her.

"Yup," she said, glancing around to make sure she hadn't left anything of any value in her tent.

"Let's go," he grinned, "I've parked the jeep just outside the forest," he said, "you hungry?"

"Starving," Rose grinned.

-o-

"Well, you were right," Sam said as he and Will entered the cabin's kitchen. Damien and Jack were sat at the table with a cup of coffee each.

"About what?" Damien asked.

"That Rose. She really is a looker," Sam gave a rare grin.

"You saw her?!"

"Yup," said Will, pouring himself and Sam a coffee from the pot.

"What did I tell you?" Damien said smugly, sitting back in his chair.

"To be honest Damien, you find most girls attractive…" Will laughed.

The other boys joined in.

"True," Sam supplied, "but Rose is worthy of your appreciation," he winked at his younger brother.

"I can't believe she's camping," Jack mused.

"I invited her to stay," Will said, "but she refused."

"Same," Damien sighed.

"She offered help with Farfetch'd whenever we need it," Sam said knowingly, "maybe she can _help_ you tomorrow?"

Damien smacked his oldest brother in the back of the head.

"Sam!"

"When have you _ever_ been gentlemanly, Damien?" Will joked.

"When pretty girls are involved!"

His three brothers raised their eyebrows at him in disbelief.

"Okay, fine. When _really_ pretty girls are involved," Damien grinned.

The little kitchen rang with laughter.

-o-

Morty lived in a cosy little flat above the Ecruteak Gym.

"Sit down, turn on the T.V, whatever you want," he smiled at her before making his way into the tiny kitchen to finish dinner.

Rose seated herself on the squashy brown leather sofa and looked around with interest. Morty's flat was very clean and very warm. It was lit with shaded lamps placed around the room, and everything was in shades of brown, beige and burgundy; it was really very homey.

She looked up as Morty handed her a glass of orange juice.

"Is steak pie and mash okay?"

"That sounds amazing," she laughed truthfully, kicking off her boots and curling up on the sofa. Something about Morty made her feel very safe and warm and comfortable.

After they'd finished eating his, surprisingly tasty, homemade pie, they sat together on the sofa. The radio was playing quietly in the background and Rose sighed as she leant back against him.

"Thank you," she said sleepily.

"What for?" he asked. She could feel his warm breath in her hair.

"For dinner of course!"

She felt his laugh rumble in his chest.

"You don't have to thank me," he said softly. She turned to face him and smiled as she looked into his face.

"Well you didn't have to do it,"

"I wanted to," he murmured. His violet eyes were strangely intense as he looked at her. Rose felt herself growing hot. Morty lay her down on the sofa so that he was lying on top of her, and she sighed against his lips as he kissed her slowly, her hands tangled in his hair. She shifted slightly underneath him, deepening the kiss, and he gasped as her hips ground against his.

"Rose," he said weakly, "you're killing me."

She laughed breathlessly, his weight on her both warm and comforting.

"Sorry," she whispered, her brown eyes dancing in the dimly lit room. She closed her eyes and lost herself in him as he kissed her again, pressing her between his warm body and the sofa. They kissed for what felt like hours, and Rose marvelled in the ease of it. There was nothing for gain here, no point to be proven. She liked him and he liked her and together they were a fusion of hot lips and wandering hands. They broke apart gasping, before both bursting into laughter at the state of the other's hair.

"What time is it?" Rose asked. The sky outside had turned pitch black.

"Half past ten," Morty said, checking his watch. She could hear the surprise in his voice. The unasked question hovered between them. He held her eyes with his, and Rose noticed how flushed his cheeks were becoming.

"Rose…" he said sounding strangled, his eyes wide, "I'm not sure I could trust myself."

He gave a nervous smile as he chewed on his bottom lip.

She smiled back, for she felt exactly the same way.

"I could sleep on the sofa?" she said.

Morty shook his head.

"I'll take the sofa."

"I swear you said you had a spare room…" she said, remembering the drive back from Olivine City.

Morty laughed.

"That was just to convince you to stay that night…I was planning on taking the sofa."

Rose rolled her eyes at his chivalry. He got up and padded towards the cupboard where he pulled out a blanket and pillow.

"What?" he smiled upon noticing her guilty grin.

She stood and moved towards him, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"We're not going to sleep yet are we?" she asked, her eyes 'innocently' wide.

"Not if you don't want to," he whispered against her lips.

"I can think of something I'd much rather do," she murmured. She felt her head begin to spin as he kissed her again, caressing her arms and her waist gently with his warm hands. She pushed him backwards so that he landed on the sofa. Climbing on top of him, she continued to kiss him, her hands making their way under his thin t-shirt. Shuddering with desire, Morty removed her hands and pinned them to her sides. He kissed her nose and then her lips.

"You _really_ can't do that," he muttered against her jaw.

"And what if I want to?" she asked, kissing his neck where she could feel his pulse was jumping.

He rolled over so that she was beneath him once more and kissed her fervently. She could feel both his hardness pressing into her leg and the subsequent heating of her skin as her blood rushed to the surface. Morty stopped kissing her and looked into her wide eyes, and her flushed face. He understood completely and smiled gently at her. Shifting slightly so that she was lying in front of him, he wrapped his arms around her, and they lay together until their heart rates decreased and sleep came peacefully upon them.

**AN: Well, well, well. I'd love to hear what you think as I'm not really sure what to say here (;**

**Love A xx**

**P.S I love to reply to all reviews, so if you review as a guest, please sign in or make an account so I can get back to you next time (:**


	22. Chapter 22

**AN: Just a warning, lovely readers, that there's a whole loada 'M' in this chapter…**

Pascalia laughed shrilly as Hielo and Ledus emptied the sack at her feet. Dozens of jagged sky-blue crystals spilled over the cave floor, and the young woman knelt amongst them in near reverence.

"I am impressed," she said.

Hielo and Ledus breathed a sigh of relief.

"This was managed without detection?"

"It all went very smoothly," Ledus said, "The police never caught a whiff of us."

"We did just as you said," Hielo continued, "We located the alarm early in the day, so that when we broke in we were able to destroy it before it gave us away."

"We are so close," Pascalia whispered, turning a water stone over and over in her slim, white fingers.

Despite having grown slowly against Pascalia, Chelsea couldn't help the excitement bubbling in her stomach. As soon as Pascalia was finished hatching her crazy plan, Chelsea would be free…

"So many ice types…" the young Dragon Tamer smiled to herself, "once Shellder have evolved, the path to Garchomp will be open…"

Chelsea bit her lip in worry. It was useless arguing with Pascalia; she had tried to tell her numerous times that the sealed mountain entrance was not to be broken into easily. The rock had been hit with a fire attack so strong that it had turned molten, before cooling and hardening. The mountain entrance was effectively made of many feet of a marble-like substance. Chelsea could not see how freezing the rock would shatter it, but she was wise enough to keep her mouth shut.

They no longer slept in the cave; the activities of the Garchomp had rendered it too dangerous. Annatto City five miles away was experiencing mini earthquakes and landslides – they could not guarantee that the roof of the cave would not collapse in the night.

From under her cloak Pascalia removed the dazzling, bright blue crystal. It was emitting a slightly phosphorescent glow and her yellow-gold eyes glittered green in its reflection. As soon as she took the crystal in her hands, the faint sounds of Dragon screams could be heard from inside the mountain and the ground shuddered slightly. Pascalia gasped as the Dragon Pokémon's emotions flowed through her, the crystal glowing white hot in her perpetually cold hands.

"It will all be mine," Pascalia smiled as she gazed lovingly into the facets of the Draco Silicis, "with the Garchomp at my command the whole city will revere me…their _true_ heir…and Lance will not be able to resist…"

The young woman licked her lips in apparent relish, and Chelsea's mouth opened in horror, her eyes fixed on Pascalia's now forked tongue.

-o-

Tripp pushed his sweaty dark hair out of his eyes, and grinned at the Gym Leader.

"I told you I wouldn't go easy on you," she laughed, returning her Pokémon to its ball.

"I wouldn't want you to."

Tripp shook his head in awe; Candice was a formidable trainer.

"Don't be too hard on yourself," she said seriously, "I'm been Gym Leader for two years now, and you started your journey, what? A month or two ago?"

Tripp nodded, feeling motivated. She was right, and he was getting stronger with each battle.

"Also, your Golduck and Beedrill are ridiculously strong," Candice commented, "if it was one on one I reckon you could beat me easy."

"I'm not so sure," Tripp replied generously, "I feel you have a _lot _more to teach me."

"Well, the Gym closes at six tonight," Candice said checking her watch, "how about you go get some research done and we'll battle again later?"

Tripp laughed, the only person he knew to rival her in energy was Rose.

"It's a deal."

-o-

Snowpoint City really was horribly cold. Tripp was enormously grateful for the snow gear Candice had lent him. He had a feeling he would have developed frost bite in some _very_ sensitive areas had it not been for her generosity.

His experiment was going as well as it could be. Eevee was growing stronger and 'happier' by the hour, but he was still no closer to discovering any hidden pockets of evolutionary power. Shrugging, he continued to trudge his way through the deep snow, but soon grew tired due to the excess strain on his muscles. He settled himself against a tree trunk and grabbed a pear from his rucksack. As it often did when idle, his mind wandered to Rose. He knew her well enough to know that she wouldn't have forgiven him, not by a long shot. If he was honest with himself, he wasn't sure _he'd_ have been so forgiving of his actions either…

He sighed and rested his head back against the fir tree. Surely by the time they got back to Sesame she would be over it?

He snorted.

-o-

"Cynthia's in town again tonight," Candice said after having beaten Tripp - again.

"Is she?"

"She asked if the two of us wanted to grab dinner with her tonight?"

"Yeah sure," he smiled quickly. He was still feeling rather flat.

A few hours later the three were congregated in Candice's living room, full to bursting with food and wine.

"_Surely_ you've got a girlfriend Tripp?" Candice slurred, patting his forearm.

Tripp shook his head from side to side very slowly, but the action still made him feel giddy.

"Good…good lookin' chap like you?" Candice asked, laughing and snorting wine up her nose.

Cynthia rolled her eyes at the two of them but refilled their wine glasses nonetheless.

"Nup, no girlfriend," he hiccoughed.

The fire was crackling merrily and the three of them were feeling very warm and comfortable. Cynthia glanced over at Tripp as though trying to figure something out.

"You're not…not gay?" Cynthia managed to ask, squinting at him and nearly spilling her drink.

"Nah…not gay," he said, his eyes closed, "I like girls. I like…Ro."

"Who?" Candice asked, frowning, looking as though she were trying to work out a difficult sum.

"M'friend Rose. S'hates me though…aaah I was stupid…"

"What didja do?" Cynthia asked, lying back on the fur rug. Sometimes the pressure of being Champion became too much and she loved to get blindly drunk.

"Slept with someone," Tripp muttered, "didn' even like her much…" he frowned, "dozzat make me a bastard?"

"Did _she_ like _you_?" Candice asked, her head lolling slightly.

"Yeah, she did."

"Then you're a big, big bastard," Cynthia slurred.

All three of them laughed.

"Why did you sleep with someone else if you liked…like your friend?" Candice asked.

"Scared I think," Tripp frowned, "like Rose a bit too much…needed to get her out of my head."

"But you've hurt her feelings?" Cynthia asked, trying to make sense of it all in her alcohol-infused state.

"Yeah I did," Tripp sighed, "wasn't really thinking…was even…even drunker than I am now."

"You'll work it all out," Candice said, hugging Tripp around the neck and spilling both of their drinks in the process.

"Thanks guys," he yawned, "fink I lov'er," he mumbled, before taking a leaf out of Cynthia's book and lying back on the rug. The fire crackled soothingly in the background and Tripp felt his eyes grow heavy with sleep. He smiled as he realised that he had two new friends - and that he wouldn't be freezing his arse off tonight.

-o-

"Uuuugh, wake up you motherfuckers."

Tripp opened his bleary eyes to see Candice staggering around holding her head. He couldn't help but laugh at the image of Cynthia, the sophisticated Sinnoh Champion, passed out on the furry rug and drooling a little.

"I have to be at the Gym in an hour," Candice groaned, "You've both got to get out," she let out a ghost of a grin, "sorry."

"C'mon Tripp," Cynthia yawned, gazing blearily at him, "let's get breakfast - my treat."

-o-

"So, you really like her, huh?" Cynthia asked, stirring cream into her coffee.

Tripp burned a fiery red.

"I really hoped you wouldn't remember that particular conversation," he mumbled.

Cynthia ignored him.

"It sounds like you fucked up royally," she said, "but if she's your best friend, she should forgive you and y'know…sometimes one thing leads to another…"

"Well that's where it gets complicated," Tripp grimaced, "we _were _best friends…"

It took him roughly half an hour to tell Cynthia everything that had happened since Tarragon Mountain. She was very quiet for a fair while afterwards.

"If you're busy or whatever, you can leave," he said, growing steadily more mortified.

"No, no," she said quietly, "I'm just thinking about what I'd do in your situation," she smiled at him, "I must say I'm coming up short."

Tripp laughed.

"Thanks, well…let me know if you _do_ come up with anything."

Cynthia smiled at him apologetically.

"Maybe you should just concentrate on something else for a while? Your research? You never know, it might be you who forgets about her in the end?"

Tripp smiled gratefully for her optimism, but couldn't bring himself to correct her.

-o-

Rose snuggled down into her pillow. It was a very comfortable pillow, and it smelt nice too. The light was filtering in through the tent canvas, but she really was too comfortable to get up right now. Her sleeping bag was lovely too; it was wrapped tightly around her, but comfortingly so…her eyes snapped open. Pillows didn't move.

"G'morning," Morty mumbled, smiling at her. Rose grinned guiltily. That's why her 'pillow' felt and smelt so good.

"Hello," she grinned back. He leant in to kiss her but she pulled away. He looked at her quizzically.

"Morning breath," she laughed. Morty rolled his eyes.

"As if I care," he whispered.

Rose sighed as their lips met. Her mind became hazy as he ran his hands up and down her back gently. She pressed herself closer to him and deepened the kiss. This time Morty pulled away.

"Rose," he said hoarsely, resting his forehead on hers, "you're gonna be the death of me…"

She laughed and swung her legs over the sofa, stretching. She was glad she brought her rucksack – she really wanted to brush her teeth.

"You can shower if you like?"

"Would you mind?" Rose asked; she felt rather grotty having slept in her clothes.

Morty went to the same cupboard where he stored his pillows and blankets and threw her a towel.

"Thanks," she grinned.

When she turned off the shower she heard the sound of bacon sizzling. She changed into her white sundress and made her way to the tiny kitchen. Morty was standing there in his jeans and t-shirt, his hair back in its customary headband.

"You like bacon?" he asked, gesturing to the frying pan. She nodded happily.

"Shall I make coffee?"

"Sure," he grinned. The kitchen was so narrow she had to shuffle past him, her body brushing his, to reach the kettle. He glanced over at her red face and burst out laughing.

"Are you busy today?" Morty asked after they'd finished washing their breakfast dishes.

"Not really," Rose grinned, "do you have anything in mind?"

"Well, I was quite interested to see what you get up to with that Eevee?"

"You want to help me train?" she asked, brightening.

"I'd love to," he beamed, "just let me shower first."

-o-

Rose sat quite happily on Morty's sofa, listening to the running water of the shower. She wasn't entirely sure how the last couple of days had happened, but she felt strangely at peace; things felt right for once. She blushed as she relived their kisses from the previous night, before laughing out loud at her ridiculousness.

"You okay?" Morty asked, popping his head around the bathroom door.

"I'm fine," she smiled, "…why?"

"I thought you said something…?"

He trailed off when he noticed that she was staring at him with wide eyes

"...Rose?" he followed the line of her gaze and looked down. He realised she had never seen him topless. Violet eyes twinkling he moved towards her.

"What, may I ask, are you looking at?" he chuckled, one eyebrow raised suggestively as he ran his hand through her long curls.

Rose flushed a bright deep red as she looked at him. His arms were lightly tanned and well-muscled. He had broad shoulders and a well-defined chest which emphasised his narrow waist and toned stomach. He took her hands and placed them on his shoulders before leaning in and kissing her until her knees turned to jelly.

"I like your dress," he whispered as he smiled against her lips, stroking the thin material at her waist.

"I like your skin," she whispered back, before laughing at the absurdity of her statement.

"You're mental," he laughed, before making his way to his bedroom for a t-shirt. Rose followed him; she had never felt so comfortable, nor so light of heart in someone else's presence.

His bedroom, like the rest of his flat, was clean and cosy. His bedspread was charcoal grey with a cream knitted throw. The dark purple curtains looked heavy and full, and the brass lampshade gave the room a warm, homey feel.

"You have a really nice flat," Rose mused, watching as he threw on a black t-shirt.

"Thanks," he grinned, "took me a good few years and a dead great aunt to be able to afford it."

Rose burst out laughing at his crude honesty, which caused Morty to flash a smile her way.

-o-

They spent many hours in the forest that morning. Morty was fascinated with everything Rose had to tell him about the chemistry of evolution. Rose was thrilled that he was actually very clever, and seemed interested rather than daunted by the topic.

As was perhaps inevitable, the talk turned to their families.

"So you're an only child?" he asked, selecting a sweet Poffin for Eevee who was pawing at his legs. Rose nodded.

"Me too," he grinned, "although I was always pretty close to my cousin until her family moved away to Sesame."

"Callisto?"

Morty confirmed this with a nod.

"Yeah, we're still in contact though, but of course it's not the same…so what about your parents? What do they do?"

Rose glanced at him, and spoke without being conscious of deciding to do so.

"My mum's a Pokémon nurse, but my dad left home when I was five so I have no idea what he is or isn't."

Morty looked over at her slightly defiant face, his eyes understanding, but not pitying, to her relief.

"That must have been difficult for both of you."

Rose nodded and realised that she did not mind talking to Morty about her family.

"At first it didn't really affect me...I was only five as I said. As I got older though…I don't know. Most kids in the town had both their parents around. Any of them who did have Pokémon journeys finished them long ago…but my parents were only eighteen when they married, so I guess my dad must have felt as though he'd missed out…"

She looked over at Morty who was watching her intently.

"All a bit of a mess," she supplied in summation.

"It's absolutely shit for you and your mother, but you've done the right thing. Life's too short to dwell on the mistakes of others."

Rose glanced into his eyes and smiled.

"Thank you," she said quietly, "so what about your parents?"

"Pretty boring," he laughed, "my mum's a seamstress, she makes all the costumes for Ecruteak's dance shows, and my dad teaches the younger years at the Pokémon School in Violet City."

"That's not boring," Rose smiled ruefully, "it's nice and normal."

"It took a lot of convincing for them to let me become a Pokémon trainer though," he said rolling his eyes, "'There's no money in it Morty! Do something sensible Morty!' It sounds like your mother all but forced you out of the door," he laughed.

Rose laughed along with him.

"Yeah, she reckons I have some 'special bond' with Pikachu," she said, sounding thoroughly unconvinced.

Morty considered her words.

"It's not unheard of," he said, looking into her eyes as though trying to find something there, "here in Johto people are very big on it…maybe you have?"

Rose shrugged, "Maybe, maybe not."

"You're a cynical little bugger," he laughed, slapping her on the bum.

She turned to face him and he saw her face soften.

"Thank you," she said quietly.

"For calling you a cynical bugger?" he asked, one eyebrow raised.

"No…just for…" she frowned, rather confused herself as to what she was so grateful for.

"Rose," he said, holding her face in his hands, "you are not a reflection of your parents; their actions have nothing to do with who you are, and you shouldn't expect to be judged by them."

She nodded slowly, seeing the truth in his violet eyes. She felt her heart swell in her chest, and tried to communicate her appreciation in the hug that she gave him, her head resting on his chest.

"Come on," he smiled, taking her by the hand, "tell me more about your experiment."

-o-

"So this Eevee's pretty close to evolving?" Morty said quietly about an hour later, as he stroked the little Pokémon.

"I think so!" Rose said brightly, lost in her work, "It's just a case of finding the energy outlet in the forest, but I doubt it'll take me too long…"

Morty continued to stroke Eevee in silence. He hadn't anticipated that she'd be going quite so soon. If he was honest, he let it slip his mind…albeit on purpose. He looked up to see that Rose was chewing her lower lip, her eyes troubled as she made the same realisation.

He stood up and gently took her hands in his.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

She nodded uncertainly. She couldn't understand why she felt this way.

"We both knew you had to go," he breathed into her hair.

"But I don't have to go yet," she mumbled grouchily, leaning into his chest. She sighed as she inhaled his slightly spicy scent and relaxed as she felt his arms draw her tighter against him.

"Rose?" someone called from the right.

Rose and Morty sprung apart just before two bodies emerged through the trees.

"_Morty_?! What're you doing in here?"

"Er, hey Damien, Will, how are you guys?" Rose noticed the dull flush creeping up Morty's neck as he tried to sound casual. She bit down on her lip to prevent herself laughing.

"Good, we're all good…do you two know each other?" Damien asked, looking confused.

Rose glanced at Morty who gave her a tiny shrug, his eyes wide.

"We're friends," she smiled, "Morty's helping me with my experiment."

"Cool, how's it coming?" Will asked.

"Pretty well," Rose said guardedly. She did not want to think about what the end of her experiment meant, "have you had any luck with Farfetch'd?"

"Nah," Damien shrugged dejectedly.

"Still not caught him?" Morty asked frowning.

Damien shook his head.

"It's getting to be a real nightmare."

"Well, we can help," Morty said, looking to Rose and flashing her a sly wink, "right?"

"Sure," she grinned.

"Let's pair up," Will suggested quickly, "I'll go with Morty, and Rose, you can go with Damien?" he managed to hide his smirk.

Rose and Morty glanced at one another again, but were too embarrassed to suggest otherwise.

-o-

"So, how much longer are you gonna be in Azalea?" Damien asked conversationally as they trampled their way through the forest.

"I'm not too sure," Rose said truthfully, feeling the beginnings of depression, "I haven't finished the experiment yet, but I'm having a good time here, I don't really want to go any time soon…"

Damien nodded knowingly.

"It's my birthday this Sunday, and we're having a bash in the cabin on Monday night, you should come along."

"Will I know anyone?" Rose grinned in spite of herself.

"Well you know me, Will, Jack and Sam," he laughed, "and the Kimono girls'll probably come along…and Morty'll get an invite, as usual, but he's a bit of a hermit…"

Rose laughed loudly.

"Is he?"

"Well you've obviously tempted him out of doors," Damien grinned, "not that that's surprising," he winked at her and chortled when she blushed.

"Wait," he whispered, grabbing her arm, and stopping her in her tracks, "can you hear that?"

They were very near the heart of the forest and up ahead there was a definite rustling and squawking. They edged closer very quietly and gasped upon spotting the elusive Farfetch'd in a small, shadowy clearing, nestled in a circle of moss-covered rocks. The Pokémon appeared to be very agitated; he didn't appear able to sit still and kept rearranging his feathers with much noise and fidgeting.

"We've got him," Damien whispered.

Wondering how Damien had deduced this, Rose peered through the trees on the other side of the clearing before spotting Will and Morty, who were also edging towards the bird Pokémon. Quietly and very carefully Rose unclipped a Pokéball from her belt and enlarged it. Ensuring she did not make a sound lest she frighten Farfetch'd, she released Ninetales.

"Quiet now," she whispered to her fire type Pokémon, "we mustn't let him know we're here…"

Ninetales nodded to show she understood.

From across the clearing she noticed that Morty had released his Gengar, who was gliding slowly towards Farfetch'd's back, tongue hanging out playfully. Sensing that something was amiss, Farfetch'd turned and squawked loudly in fear upon coming face to face with the ghost Pokémon. As Morty had predicted, Farfetch'd flew away from Gengar, and straight for Damien and Rose.

"Fire Spin Ninetales!"

The fiery vortex encased the bird Pokémon who was rendered unable to move. Clearly distressed, Farfetch'd began to squawk and thrash against his bonds.

"Quickly Damien!" Rose yelled.

The four held their breath as Damien's Pokéball sailed through the clearing and closed around Farfetch'd in a flash of white light. They held their breath, ready to strike should the capture fail, but to their shock and elation the Pokéball wobbled only slightly before shutting with a final _click_.

"Wahoo!" Will cheered, running across the clearing to slap Rose and Damien on their backs. Damien seemed to be in complete shock at their success.

"Thank you guys so much," he said, his voice weak with relief. He stared down at the Pokéball in his hands as though unable to believe his eyes, "I can't wait to tell Sam!" he grinned.

"You'd better take Farfetch'd straight to the Pokémon Centre," Rose said wisely, "I reckon all he needs is something for shock and then he'll be right as rain."

Both Damien and Will kissed her on the cheek and wrung Morty's hand in thanks.

"You guys_ have_ to come to my party this week," Damien grinned, "it's now gonna be a double celebration!"

"What's the first half?" Morty asked, eyebrows raised in amusement.

"My eighteenth!" Damien exclaimed, rolling his eyes, "You'd better come along Morty," he warned, "you've become _way_ too boring since you've been made Gym Leader."

Morty laughed good humouredly, and he and Rose watched the brothers make their way out of the forest, towards Azalea Town's Pokémon Centre.

"Nice work there," Morty grinned, pulling Rose towards him now they were alone once more.

"Thanks, you were pretty darn good yourself," she said, wrinkling her nose. He kissed her lightly and she smiled.

"Also, I don't think you're boring in the slightest," she laughed, pushing his dark blond hair out of his eyes.

"Why thank you," he said, giving her a mock bow, "it's one o'clock, d'you fancy some lunch?"

-o-

"I think you should stay at mine again tonight," Morty said, casually avoiding her eyes as he swallowed his last bite of sandwich. It didn't go unnoticed by him that Rose looked slightly torn before she answered him.

"I'd love to…if you don't mind?" she finally said. She couldn't help but feel warm at his slight nervousness. He was pleased to see that her eyes were sparkling when she replied.

"Not only do I not mind, I_ insist_," he grinned, hiding his relief, "and also there's a storm tonight so there's no way I'd let you sleep out in a shitty tent."

Rose pursed her lips but she couldn't help them from twitching as she looked into his stubborn face. They left the café hand in hand.

"I sort of presumed that you enjoyed yourself last night anyway?" he murmured suggestively in her ear, causing her to bite her lip and blush, "I know _I_ wouldn't say no to a repeat perfor-"

"Morty?" an astonished voice asked, causing him to jump backwards in alarm. A tall, graceful girl stood staring at him and Rose. She was wearing a very elaborately embroidered red kimono and her jet-black hair was piled artistically on top of her head.

"Miki!" he exclaimed, sounding slightly nervous. His grip on Rose's hand tightened.

"I don't think I've met your friend?" she smiled. It was a little too sweet for Rose's liking.

"Uh…Miki this is Rose – she's a trainer and a researcher, Rose this is Miki – she's a kimono dancer here in the city."

"Hi, it's nice to meet you," Rose said nervously. Miki towered above her in height and was looking at her none too kindly.

"Well Miki, uh, I guess I'll see you around?"

Without giving Miki the chance to respond, Morty smiled in a pained fashion, and all but dragged Rose to the Ecruteak Gym, not speaking until they were in the safety of his flat.

"Holy moly," he said, pulling out his headband and running his hands across his scalp, messing up his long dark blond hair, "she's gonna be after my blood."

"Why?" Rose asked, very confused by the whole situation.

"She fancies me," he laughed nervously, "but I didn't want to hurt her feelings so told her I didn't have time for a girlfriend…and now she's seen me with you…" he couldn't help but let out another small chuckle.

"Sorry," Rose said smiling guiltily.

"It's in no way your fault," he said, "I should just have had the guts to tell her I wasn't interested…"

"But you're too nice," Rose grinned.

"Too cowardly, more like," he laughed, brushing his lips against hers.

Rose sighed deeply and heavily. Morty pulled away, realising that this was not a sigh of pleasure.

"What's the matter?" he asked, "Rose?" he asked again, noticing that her brown eyes were suddenly filled with tears. He pulled her to sit on his lap on the sofa, and before she could compose herself she was weeping silently against his chest.

"What is it?" he asked, sounding panicked, "Rose, you're scaring me," he wiped away her tears with the back of his hand and forced her to look at him.

"It's not much really," she said, her voice breaking, "I just…I don't…I'm happy here…I don't want to leave," she said in a very small voice. She could never remember having cried before; it was a strange feeling – she felt both better and worse at the same time.

Morty pulled her closer and rested his cheek against the top of her head, inhaling the scent of lavender.

"These past few days have meant so much to me," she continued, her voice cracking with the strain of holding back her tears, "what I came from was so crap…and I really don't want to have to go back," Morty held her more tightly but didn't interrupt, "and now there's you," she whispered, frowning to herself. She could feel his heart beat faster against her ear as she said those words, "I…I don't know what it is, but…but I've never –"

She started to shake with silent tears once more and Morty felt his heart break. He pulled her down to lie next to him as he soothingly stroked her long brown hair.

"I don't know what it is either," he whispered into her ear, "it sounds so sickeningly cliché to say that I've never felt this way before…but it's true," he finished softly. She looked up into his unusual violet eyes and managed a watery smile when she saw that they too had filled with tears. There was an unspoken, mutual understanding that had passed between them at some point, neither realising quite when, or indeed how, it had happened.

"I don't want you to go," he mumbled into her hair.

"I don't want to either," she sighed, leaning back into his chest and closing her eyes.

They were silent for a while, each listening to the other breathing; Morty continued to stroke her long brown curls.

Rose knew what she should say, that being together was only going to hurt them more in the long run, but it was stuck in her throat and she had no desire to force it out. They fell asleep in each other's arms, both wondering what on earth had happened to change their worlds completely in such an incredibly short amount of time.

Morty woke at about seven that evening. Rose was curled up next to him on the sofa. He brushed the hair back from her face and smiled at how peaceful she looked. He sighed upon seeing her dried tear tracks, and carefully eased himself off the sofa to cook something.

-o-

She woke upon feeling a kiss on her forehead.

"You hungry Rose?" she heard Morty ask as he stroked her cheek. Sitting up slowly, she smiled when she saw that he had cooked pasta and set the table with two glasses of juice.

"You're such a domestic god," she laughed as she plaited her hair. His heart warmed at the sound of her happiness, and he winked at her as he threw her his jumper.

"You look freezing," he said in response to her questioningly look. She smiled gratefully. Her summer dress did feel rather skimpy now that the storm was raging outside.

They ate their dinner in companionable silence, smiling whenever they caught the other's eye. After they'd washed up they sat back on the sofa, leaning against one another.

"What's so crap back in Sesame?" Morty asked quietly, playing with the fingers of her right hand.

Rose sighed and turned to face him.

"Honestly? Now…not very much. It's more the fact that I don't want to leave Johto," her eyes were glued to their hands.

"Okay," he smiled, "what _was_ crap in Sesame?"

She looked him straight in the eye before deciding that she trusted him. She had nothing to be ashamed of anyway.

"You said you recognised me from T.V, right?"

"Right."

"Well, one of the guys there, Tripp, has been my best friend since I was about three years old,"

Morty nodded, trying to keep his composure, although he could feel something icy starting to settle in his stomach.

She proceeded to explain about their up and down friendship, how they would continually fall out and he would sulk for days. Morty smiled apologetically when she told him about the events that took place on Tarragon Mountain; he could tell she didn't relish talking about it. His smile turned more and more sour, however, as she began to explain Tripp's behaviour and everything that had passed between them whilst living at the Laboratory, finally culminating in his sleeping with Amy on his birthday - the night of the celebratory ball.

"So…that's all," she laughed mirthlessly, "it's all a massive mess and I really can't be fucked to go back to it all."

Morty was quiet for a moment. He hadn't let go of her hand and was continuing to play with her fingers.

"You'll have to go back," he said quietly, sighing heavily.

Rose bit her lip. She knew it was true but she really didn't want to hear it.

"Do you like him?" he asked, if possible, even more quietly.

Rose forced him to meet her eyes. She wanted him to understand.

"I did like him…very much so," she gave a small laugh, "but after he did that…and behaved that way…" Morty's mouth tightened, "he's really not what I thought and…to be honest…no, I don't like him. Not in that way. Not even as a person right this minute…it never quite felt right with him," she added softly.

Morty nodded slowly as he exhaled. He had been expecting a different answer almost from the start of the conversation. The icy feeling in his stomach was lifting slightly.

"So if you don't like him like that…why are you still sad?" he asked, frowning.

She looked into his eyes and saw confusion there, and a lingering paranoia that he was trying desperately to conceal.

"Because," she whispered, "I finally feel happy and it's all going to be taken from me."

The icy pit in his stomach melted in a rush of heat. He took her face in his hands and stared into her eyes before he kissed her lips gently.

"Don't you_ ever_ let someone make you feel that unhappy again," he muttered as he kissed her cheeks, her eyelids, her nose, her lips.

She nodded as she kissed him back, unable to stop the tears that slid down her cheeks and onto his t-shirt.

"Why're you crying so much?" he asked softly; no matter how many tears he wiped away they kept coming steadily.

She half laughed at his question, and gave a funny strangled sob.

"Because I know how to make Eevee evolve," she said in a defeated voice, her lips twitching at the irony and tragedy of her situation. Morty blinked.

"You do? Since when?"

"Since we caught Farfetch'd," she hiccoughed, "those moss covered rocks he was nestled between - they were making him all het up and energised…they're my evolutionary force. I know it now…and…and I wish I didn't."

"And once Eevee's evolved…"

"I'm finished here," she whispered.

He hugged her close to him and desperately tried to stifle his own sobs. He had no idea what had happened in the last few days, but he couldn't eliminate the rising panic that he felt at the thought of letting her go.

"I can't leave," she whispered brokenly against his chest, shaking her head.

"I wish you didn't have to," he said, his voice wavering.

She shifted so that they were face to face. He stared into her bright brown eyes, so reflective of how he himself was feeling.

Their lips met tentatively at first and then more urgently. Morty felt his heart wrench as his face grew wet from her fresh surge of tears. Breaking their kiss, she held his face in her hands, smiling slightly when she noticed his eyes were wet. Morty half laughed and attempted to dry them.

"You must think me a right pansy," he sniffed. Rose shook her head and kissed him again. It felt so natural to her, so right. She felt as though she hadn't breathed properly in weeks, but only here, with his lips moving against hers, did she realise it.

He broke their kiss suddenly.

"I love you," he said shakily, frowning as he made this realisation. Now that it was out in the open, he wondered why he hadn't realised it sooner. His hands tremored as he wiped yet more tears from her face.

"I love you too," she said slowly, with a rush of understanding, her breathing shallow, and her lower lip trembling slightly. They stared at one another for an immeasurable moment before crashing their lips together once again. Rose straddled him where they sat on the sofa and pressed her body into his, trying in vain to feel physically closer to him. He gripped her thighs in his hands and stood so that he was carrying her. He stumbled to his bedroom where he lay her on his bed and continued to kiss her, teasing her tongue with his and tracing patterns over the smooth skin of her neck and collarbone with his fingertips.

She sighed contentedly, despite the fact that her wretched heart felt as though it were bleeding. Wordlessly she sat up and ran her hands through his soft hair, across his high cheekbones, his strong jawline. She smiled as she appreciated just how handsome he was, and wondered why she hadn't noticed it straight away. She stroked his arms and his shoulders, marvelling at how familiar it all felt to her, when in reality she had known him less than a week. As she looked into his eyes again, however, she discovered with a jolt that she knew his soul, and he knew hers. Blushing at her uncharacteristically romantic realisation, she caught his lips with hers again.

"I told you that you were pretty Rose," he whispered heavily against her lips, "but only because I was too shy then to tell you that I think you're absolutely beautiful."

She smiled through their kiss and allowed her hands to travel down his body to the hem of his t-shirt. She started to lift it and, realising her intention, Morty pulled it over his head.

Flushing all over with desire, Rose gasped at the feel of his heated skin beneath her hands. She began to shiver, but not from the cold, as he removed his jumper that she was still wearing, and tossed it to the floor. In another fluid motion he pulled her summer dress over her head and simply stared at her. His hazy eyes lingered on the cream lace of her bra and knickers. He reached out to stroke the gentle curve of her waist and the roundness of her hips. Her long plait was hanging to her waist and he began to undo it, running his fingers through her long, shiny curls. She allowed him to play with her hair for a while, enjoying the tingles it was sending down her spine, before she pushed him back onto the pillows, her brown eyes blazing. Never breaking eye contact she began to unbuckle his belt and tugged at his jeans until they too joined the pile of clothing at the end of the bed. She kissed the trail of hair that ran from his navel to underneath his boxer shorts, giddily inhaling his spicy scent.

Morty shuddered at having her so close, her long hair tickling his torso as she removed his underwear, revealing that which felt inherently familiar to her for some inexplicable reason. He raised himself so that he could unclasp her bra before laying her down on the bed and kissing her all over her breasts, neck and stomach. Lower and lower he kissed her until her chest was heaving at the sensation of his soft lips moving relentlessly against her flesh. He kissed her along the line where her knickers began before he slowly removed them. Dipping his head between her legs, he smiled as she gasped his name. He continued to tease her with his tongue until neither of them could stand a moment longer. Lifting himself so that he could reach her lips he kissed her softly and slowly. He moaned as he felt her thighs gliding over his hips and knew he couldn't wait.

Her eyes closed tightly when he slowly entered her, but she relaxed as she grew accustomed to the feeling of him inside her, her tongue finding his and their breath mingling as her hands tangled through his dark blond hair. They moved together rhythmically for what felt like hours, a tangle of limbs and twisted bed sheets, before finally shouting out together in their mutual climax. They continued to lie joined together, bathed in sweat in one another's arms. Morty felt his chest grow wet with her fresh tears, and could not prevent his own from dripping into her dark hair.

**AN: once again I'm at rather a loss. This kept trying to happen whatever I intended to write, so I thought I'd just let them get on with it. Thank you to my reviewers (: This one's for you (;**

**Love A xx**


	23. Chapter 23

Candice rolled her eyes.

"Can't you just call her or something?"

"Call her?" Tripp asked, frowning, "why would I call her?"

"Because maybe if you _called_ her, you'd stop whining about her to me. You guys get to kiss and make up and I get some peace – win-win."

Tripp grinned but wasn't fazed; he knew Candice liked to pretend to be aloof – it was partly why he liked her.

"Fine," he said, "I'll let you have some peace…but I'm not calling her."

He leaned back in the armchair and positioned his hands behind his head. He was really very grateful for Candice's friendship, and not only because it meant he could warm up indoors whenever he felt like it.

"Thank you," she exhaled loudly, before groaning as her mobile phone began to ring, "Urrgh what _now_?" she growled before answering, "Hello?...really?...for how long?...you're sure?...right…okay…just give me five minutes."

"What's up?"

"Call from the Pokémon Centre," she said, pulling her heavy coat on, "apparently two little girls are missing in the forest and it's snowing like crazy out there…what're you doing?" she asked as Tripp began to put his own coat on.

"I'm coming too," he said grimly; in a situation like this he knew every extra person would be a great help.

-o-

"If we go in pairs we'll be safer," Candice addressed the search party, "so everyone find a partner. We'll all meet back at the Pokémon Centre at five o'clock, if nobody's successful…" she grimaced, "we'll make a new plan back here – okay?"

The townspeople nodded at their Gym Leader's instructions and the search party dispersed.

"Right Tripp," Candice said, making sure her Pokéball belt was secure, "you come with me, we can search the deeper parts of the forest."

"Sure," he agreed, putting on his borrowed earmuffs.

"I've only asked the strongest trainers to go off the path," Candice said, her brow furrowed with worry, "I don't think people realise quite how strong the Pokémon around here can be…"

"What're the girls called?"

"Ava and Eva, they're twins."

Tripp nodded.

-o-

Candice was right, the Pokémon in the depths of the woods were horribly strong. Although Tripp wouldn't admit it, he was very glad to have company.

Candice scowled as she took out her mobile phone again.

"No signal…that's why Cynthia isn't answering…"

"Don't worry," he said, although he could feel the worry eating away at him, "we're bound to find them soon, or maybe someone else already has?" he suggested hopefully.

They both glanced up at the sky which was turning steadily darker despite the fact it was only four o'clock.

Tripp grabbed Candice's shoulder.

"Wha-?"

"Shh!" he hissed, "did you hear that?"

They stood in silence; the forest was eerily quiet, all sounds muffled by the thick blanket of snow upon the ground. And then - a tinny shriek.

Candice gasped.

"It must be them!" she exclaimed.

They ran towards the sound which was taking them further and further into the heart of the forest. The fir trees grew more tightly together and it became very difficult to navigate their way through them quickly. Suddenly, out of nowhere, they ran into a clearing. The snow was crisp and untouched, the very brightness of it stung their eyes after the ever gloomier, tightly packed forest. Much, much closer this time they heard another scream.

"Over there!" Tripp yelled, pointing towards an enormous, frozen boulder. They ran towards it and to both their relief and horror, they spotted the young twin girls, cowering away from a massive Piloswine.

"Go Houndoom!"

"Go Abomasnow!"

The Piloswine turned as it sensed the danger behind it.

"Use Flamethrower Houndoom!"

"Abomasnow, use Razor Leaf!"

The Piloswine stumbled slightly after being hit with the two powerful attacks but, to Tripp and Candice's surprise, it seemed to merely shake off the attacks before turning again to advance on the twins.

"Fuck!" Candice screamed, "Use Wood Hammer!"

"Crunch it Houndoom!"

Again the Piloswine, with incredible strength, shook off its pain and returned to its prey.

"Why is it so strong?" Candice wailed, "even your fire attacks are barely touching it! Tripp?"

Tripp was staring open-mouthed at the great frozen boulder, his bright blue eyes wide with comprehension.

"_Tripp_!"

Tripp nodded to himself before turning to Candice.

"I don't think we're going to have much chance in making it faint; I'm gonna try and catch it."

Candice blinked in surprise but said nothing.

"Right, I'm gonna hit it with a Flamethrower, and then I want you to use Blizzard and try and freeze it, okay?"

"Okay," Candice nodded, "hurry!" she said, as one of the twins screamed again.

"Come on Houndoom, Flamethrower!"

"Blizzard Abomasnow!"

As Tripp had predicted, the Piloswine was momentarily stunned. He threw a Pokéball and prayed with all his might that his plan would work. He had his suspicions about that boulder, and he was pretty sure it would be near impossible to make that Piloswine faint when it was next to it.

To all of their relief, the Pokéball _clicked_ shut. Breathing heavily in the strangely quiet aftermath of the battle, Tripp walked over to collect his Pokéball. He barely heard Candice behind him as she hugged and comforted the little red haired girls who had been cowering behind the enormous boulder. Tripp ran his fingers over the icy stone, thinking…

"Come on Tripp," Candice grinned, each little girl holding onto one of her hands, "let's go!"

He nodded curtly, and he smiled as he looked at the girls.

"Are you two okay?" he asked.

They nodded.

"Thank you sir," the bolder one smiled, the other simply nodded her thanks.

"Let get these two back to the Pokémon Centre," Candice said in relief, "I think they deserve a hot chocolate."

Tripp laughed as the girls began to jump up and down and squeal with excitement.

-o-

The girls' parents were understandably overcome with emotion at the safe return of their daughters.

"You must never run off again!" their mother was crying as she stroked their red heads, "mummy and daddy were so worried about you!"

"But we're fine!" the bolder one, Ava, said, "Candice and Tripp saved us by catching the big Pokémon!"

"A very nice catch by the way," Candice smiled as she handed Tripp his coffee. He grinned as he watched the townspeople fuss over the twin girls.

"Thanks - you helped."

"Great strategy though," Candice said, impressed, "and you've gotten yourself one hell of a strong Pokémon there."

"Oh I don't think he'll be much stronger than my others," Tripp said lightly, sipping his cappuccino.

"What?! Are you crazy? We could barely take it down between us!"

Tripp glanced over at her.

"D'you reckon you could find that clearing again?"

"Yes…but why the hell do you want to go back there?"

"I'll show you, come on."

-o-

Candice stood with her arms folded huffily as Tripp continued to examine the frozen boulder.

"Are you actually going to tell me why you're fondling this rock or -?"

"I'm not _fondling_ it," Tripp muttered, but he finally looked over at her, "I said I didn't think Piloswine was particularly stronger than my other Pokémon because of_ this_ rock," he said.

Candice looked at him blankly.

"I've told you a bit about my research, and the thing is, I've been looking for some evidence like this since I arrived here in Snowpoint City."

Candice continued to look questioningly at him. Tripp sighed.

"I think Piloswine was unusually strong because it had probably been over exposed to this boulder."

Candice frowned and came to examine it with him.

"But why?_ I_ don't see anything special about this rock."

"It's nothing you can _see_ necessarily," Tripp said, becoming more certain of his theory, "it's the way the Pokémon behave around it…let's battle."

"What?"

"Can we battle? Right here?"

"You want to battle?" Candice asked, looking at him as though he had lost his mind.

"I'll be able to explain what I'm talking about…hopefully," he grinned.

Candice nodded slowly, but her eyes were narrowed.

"Okay then…I pick Sneasel."

"And I choose Eevee," Tripp smiled, releasing his Pokémon, "I don't want a real battle here…just…just let them get a bit pumped, right here by the boulder."

Candice had no idea where Tripp was going with this, but she played along.

After a few minutes of battling, Tripp held up his hand to stop her. Candice froze and she looked to where Tripp was staring at his Eevee. Sure enough, something was happening. The edges of Eevee's small form began to shimmer and shift. Slowly, but surely, the little Pokémon began to glow and metamorphose, becoming longer, leaner and taller.

Candice stood, open-mouthed as a new Pokémon stood before her, pale blue with darker blue feet and a magnificent spade shaped tail.

"Glaceon," it said.

"Oh holy shit," Candice whispered.

Tripp laughed; although he too was amazed by the new Pokémon; it wasn't a wholly new experience for him, but he could understand Candice's wonder.

"Is that…is that an _ice type_ Eevee?!"

"I believe so," Tripp murmured; his success was sinking in.

"How can I get one?" she croaked.

Tripp looked over at her in surprise. Her eyes were wide and misty.

"Well the training would be pretty simple for you…you just need to ensure Eevee's happiness is raised and then train it around this boulder…just gotta find an Eevee I suppose," he grinned.

She grinned back and they continued to chat as Tripp made a detailed sketch of the boulder and made his final file notes on the evolution.

-o-

Rose woke peacefully, the golden light of the morning filtering through the deep purple curtains that weren't quite drawn shut. Her eyes still closed, she stretched lightly and started as her hand brushed against smooth, warm skin. Opening her eyes she came face to face with Morty who was staring down at her with…(was that worry?) in his unusual eyes.

She smiled at him, before flushing as memories of the previous night rushed over her. He sighed audibly at her smile before he returned it, and crushed her to him, kissing her dark hair.

"Are you okay?" she asked, her voice muffled against his chest.

He chuckled and she felt it rumble through him.

"I was slightly worried about your reaction…but I'm good now," he loosened his arms slightly so that he could see her face and kissed her on the nose.

She lay quietly against him. So he had been worried she would regret it…well she didn't. Not one bit. She snuggled closer to him, pressing her nose into his neck and relaxing as his spicy scent filled her head.

"I'm meant to be in the Gym all day today…" he said quietly.

"That's okay, you _are_ the Gym Leader," she said, smiling widely.

"You're welcome to stay here until I'm back?"

Rose started to shake her head.

"I need to go back to the forest…"

He gripped her tightly, knowing what this could mean.

"But it's only Friday…maybe I can stay for the weekend? If…if you don't mind?"

Morty kissed her softly. He didn't want her to leave, ever.

He watched her as she got up from the bed, captivated by her lightly tanned skin, her small waist and rounded behind. Her thick hair fell to her waist, and as she bent to retrieve her clothes, it swung forward to cover her face

"Can I shower?" she asked, before blushing as she looked at Morty properly. He was lounging back on the pillows and the sheet was not doing a very good job of protecting his modesty. Her eyes lingered on the golden hair underneath his arms and she longed to launch herself back onto the bed and forget everything but him for another while…

She was snapped out of her reverie when he stood up and grabbed his own towel. He wrapped his arm around her waist as he whispered in her ear.

"I've only got twenty minutes until I need to be in the Gym…showering together will save us time…"

Needing no encouragement, Rose flung her arms around his neck and they stumbled into the shower, their lips locked. It was difficult to breathe properly under the refreshingly hot water which pounded down upon them as they kissed hungrily and, gasping, Rose broke away, smiling at the way Morty's blond hair, turned light brown in the water, was plastered to his head.

"I wish I could stay…" he sighed, pressing her into the wall of the shower where the water no longer clouded their vision.

"Me too," Rose grinned ruefully, "but unfortunately you can't shirk your duties" she said, tapping him on the nose.

Morty laughed before he turned the shower off and wrapped himself in his towel. Rose smiled as she watched him, before sighing deeply.

-o-

She sat in the middle of the circle of moss covered stones, the ones where they had finally captured Farfetch'd.

She was almost one hundred percent certain that this was the answer, that she had discovered the source, but she could not bring herself to determine it. She glanced down at the Pokéball that she was rolling over and over in her fingers.

_You always do the right thing…don't you deserve some happiness too?_ The voice in her head asked.

_But you can't stay here forever,_ another, more adamant voice probed, _what's the point in prolonging it? It will only make it harder when you finally leave…_

_But you love him, _the first voice said softly, Rose could almost feel her subconscious blushing, _just stay with him a little longer…it doesn't have to be the end right now…_

Rose stood suddenly and kicked one of the moss covered stones in frustration. Why couldn't any of her decisions be simple?

"Rose?"

She turned sharply to see Damien looking at her warily.

"Oh, hey Damien," she said dully.

"What's up? You sound blue…you having trouble with your experiment?"

"Um…yeah…yeah I suppose so," she said, flushing at her blatant lie.

Damien smiled at her blush, becoming more animated.

"Well if there's anything I can help you with…? You helped me enough!"

"And Morty," she said quietly.

"What?"

"Morty helped, too."

"Yeah I guess he did," Damien grinned, "You still up for Monday, yeah? Sam's bought loads of beer, he really is pleased Farfetch'd's back," he laughed.

Rose managed to crack a smile.

"I suppose we could come along."

"We?" Damien asked, confused.

"Me and uh…my Pokémon," she said quickly in an attempt to cover herself.

Damien frowned.

"Well, it was meant to be human only…but y'know…"

Rose blushed at her slip-up.

"Well I'll be there at any rate," she said, giving a pained smile, desperate to be free.

"Sweet," he said, his grey-green eyes gleaming, "all kicks off at seven so I'll definitely see you then?"

Rose nodded, before sinking to her knees as he walked out of sight.

-o-

"Rose?" she heard someone ask softly as they shook her shoulder.

She was still sat in the circle of moss covered stones, her head on her knees. She looked up to see Morty smiling down at her, wearing his customary Gym Training outfit of beige trousers and a tight, long sleeved black top.

"What're you doing?" he asked, sitting next to her.

She shrugged.

"Have you managed to make Eevee evolve?" he asked lightly.

She shook her head.

"Did you get it wrong?" he asked, frowning; she must have been here for a good seven or eight hours, "Are these stones not your evolutionary force?"

She looked him in the eye.

"I haven't tried yet," she said, her voice gravelly.

"Why not?" he asked taking her hand, although he was pretty sure he knew the answer.

"Because once it's done…it's all over isn't it?"

"No," he said, startling her.

"No?" she questioned, looking hopeful.

"Why, when you finish your experiment, do you have to leave?" he asked softly, brushing her hair from her face, "I say you finish it now, forget about it, and then we can enjoy the weekend…"

"And after?" she asked in a small voice.

"We can come to that," he said, kissing her forehead.

She nodded assertively and stood, wincing at the pins and needles in her legs. Despite the situation she began to grow excited.

"I'm glad you'll be able to watch this one," she smiled.

"Me too," Morty grinned. He had been fascinated by Rose's Espeon and couldn't deny that the prospect of witnessing the discovery of a new Pokémon first hand was a giddying experience.

Rose released the Eevee with a deep breath. The little Pokémon frolicked around the stones, bounding from one to the other in a very excitable manner.

Rose looked at Morty knowingly and he couldn't help but feel impressed by her; her intelligence, her beauty…

Crouching low Rose held out a pink Poffin, Eevee's favourite, and they both watched with bated breath as the fox Pokémon dug in.

Morty gasped as the edges of Eevee's form began to distort. At first he wasn't sure if it had been a trick of the light, for the clearing was very shadowy at this time of evening, but his hunch was confirmed when Eevee began to grow, and continued to change shape with a blinding light until finally, a new Pokémon stood in their midst, ethereally magical in the dappled forest light.

Rose bent to stroke the Pokémon, and she marvelled at the beauty of its creamy brown fur, its large brown eyes and its green, leaf-like tail and ears.

"Amazing," Morty breathed, "I'm guessing it's a grass type?"

"I would imagine so," Rose whispered, again taking in the leaf-like components.

"Leafeon!" the Pokémon confirmed.

Rose and Morty chuckled quietly.

"Grass type it is," Morty grinned.

Rose let out a slow, steady breath.

"You okay?" he asked, peering into her eyes.

She nodded slowly, before laughing and flinging her arms around his waist.

"You were right," she said, looking up at him, "Now this is over I can just forget it…it shouldn't mean I have to go straight back…" she tailed off, knowing she couldn't put off her departure forever.

Morty kissed her lips gently.

"I'm not in the Gym at all this weekend," he said, his violet eyes shining through the gloom.

"All the better for me," Rose mumbled, her thoughts becoming incoherent as he pressed her up against the nearest tree, "w-wait," she stammered, wrenching her lips from Morty's.

"What is it?" he asked, noting her alarm.

He watched as she fumbled at her waist and withdrew a Pokéball, before returning Leafeon.

"That's better," she whispered, smiling as she claimed his lips again.

-o-

"So you're going back tomorrow?" Candice asked.

Tripp nodded as he continued to pack his bag.

"There's only the one catamaran on a Saturday, it's at eight in the morning."

"Fine by me," Tripp grinned, he couldn't wait to get back to Tarragon. The time spent apart from Rose had renewed his confidence and he was looking forward to fixing things, once and for all.

"Can I come too?" Candice asked in a rush.

Tripp look up at her, startled.

"You want to come? To Sesame?"

"Of course! I really want to meet this Professor, and Cristine's been nagging me to come for months anyway."

"But what about the Gym?"

"It's winter here, the Gym's dead. If I'm going to leave at all, now's the best time."

"Well why didn't you say before?" Tripp grinned, dropping his deodorant and turning to face her.

"I was half waiting for an invite," Candice laughed, rolling her eyes at her friend.

"Sorry," he grimaced, "I didn't even think – I assumed you'd be needed here!"

"Well you assumed wrong," she said, jumping to her feet.

"Where're you going?"

"To pack!" she squealed.

-o-

The following morning Tripp and Candice stood bleary eyed and shivering as they waited to board the catamaran. Tripp smiled to himself at how different he felt the last time he was here. He felt much lighter and more confident about his situation, although nerves at the thought of seeing Rose soon were beginning to kick in.

Nevertheless, the six hour journey passed relatively quickly with a companion, and by three o'clock they were back on a train to Tarragon City, both very excited, and both for very different reasons.

"Cristine said she'll be there in time for dinner," Candice was babbling, her eyes glued outside of the window. She had never left Sinnoh before, and it had been a long time since she had left Snowpoint City. Although central Sesame was rather cold at this time of year, it was still brightly sunny and there was no snow in sight.

"It'll be cool to see Cristine again," Tripp smiled, "and Jay…"

He didn't dare mention Rose's name for fear of Candice groaning and laughing at him.

They arrived outside the Laboratory at about six o'clock that evening and Tripp couldn't help but laugh at the look of awe on Candice's face.

"You lived here?" she gaped.

Tripp nodded happily.

"And I made you sleep on a camp bed in my office…" she mumbled.

Tripp roared with laughter.

"I was very grateful for that camp bed," he said as they made their way through the colossal front doors. He could feel the blood heating his skin. She was here. He could tell.

"Tripp!" the Professor called, hobbling towards him from a door to the right, "my dear boy! You're looking well, _very_ well," he said approvingly, peering into the young man's face, "and Candice? Of Snowpoint? Ah yes, you are not unknown here in Sesame, not unknown at all…do come in, settle down, Cristine is here already. Candice, I wonder if you would like to share with Cristine? Or if you would rather your own bedroom you can take Rose's for now?"

"Rose's?" Tripp asked sharply, "You mean she's not back yet?"

The Professor surveyed him carefully.

"Not yet, no. I've not yet heard from her."

Tripp felt his stomach plummet. She wasn't back. He wasn't going to see her tonight. But where was she? Surely she had managed to make her Eevee evolve? Perhaps it was proving difficult to find Johto's evolutionary force?

"We can talk later…" the Professor said, his eyes hungrily fixed on Tripp's Pokéball belt, "do you have the Eevee?"

Tripp smiled as he handed the old man his Pokéball and his file notes.

"I have the _Glaceon_," he said, grinning in spite of his disappointment.

-o-

"Tripp!" Jay exclaimed, bounding down the stairs upon hearing his friend's voice. Tripp looked around, a wide smile on his face and yet, for a moment, the two young men stared at one another, both slightly wary of the other. Jay moved first and enveloped Tripp in a crushing bear hug which left him clutching at his ribs and laughing.

"How're you doing?" Tripp grinned, slapping him on the shoulder.

"Yeah I'm great," he said, "I'm glad you're back though, it's been really quiet."

Although neither voiced it, both were very glad that the events after the ball had been put behind them completely.

"It's pretty good to be back," Tripp laughed, "oh hey, this is Candice, she's the Gym Leader of the Snowpoint Gym in Sinnoh."

"Hey!" Jay said, wringing her hand, "it's good to meet you, are you here to visit?"

"Partly," she said, chuckling, "I'm also determined for Professor Willow to show me how to get a Glaceon."

"Glaceon?" Jay enquired, "Is this the new Eevee you've discovered?"

"Yup!" Tripp said happily.

They made their way into the dining hall where Cristine was waiting for them. She squealed upon seeing her friend and the four of them and the Professor sat down to a delicious Spaghetti Carbonara and a Key Lime Pie.

-o-

Professor Willow retired to his rooms at about eight o'clock, but the four younger adults stayed at the table, drinking the copious amounts of white wine available to them.

"So Jay," Candice started, "do you know this Rose?"

Jay nodded.

"Yeah, she's a very good friend of mine…why?"

Tripp began to blush.

"Considering you're also good friends with Tripp here I'm guessing you know of his feelings for her?" she grinned wickedly.

Jay nodded slowly, a smile unfurling on his face.

"Yeah I know," he said, "and I'm pretty sure your feelings aren't unrequited…"

"What?" Cristine asked, her eyes wide.

"Rose…" Jay said, frowning slightly. He realised that the alcohol was probably making his tongue looser than usual, but he couldn't exactly back out now, "of course she likes you Tripp."

"What do you mean 'of course'?!" he asked, his mouth agape.

"Well why else would she have been so angry with you over Amy?"

Tripp looked guiltily at Jay but Jay waved it off.

"Well…I dunno, I guess she just –?"

"Don't be so naive, Tripp," Cristine said, rolling her eyes and refilling their glasses.

"You don't know her like I do though," Tripp said, taking a gulp of wine, "she's so…so moral and stuff. I think whether she likes me or not she wouldn't like me sleeping around…"

"Well, if she flew off the handle like you said she did, I'm gonna guess she likes you," Candice supplied.

The room fell silent as they all considered this.

"Well, if she did like me, I doubt she does now," Tripp said moodily, "she wouldn't even _look_ at me before she left."

"Is she a virgin?" Candice asked baldly.

"Y-yes," Tripp said, shocked by the question.

"Well then. That was probably part of the problem. First of all she was likely to be hoping that you'd 'lose it' together and then she sees you with…Amy?" this was met by nods, "And then as if that isn't bad enough for her, she discovers that even that wasn't your first time!"

"I'll bet you're right," Cristine said, she didn't like talking about Rose behind her back, but she knew how miserable she had been at the ball and would do anything she believed would help.

"So who was your first time with?" Jay asked curiously, "I kinda guessed you and Rose had a sort of 'thing' when I first met you…who came before?"

"It was a girl from Johto last summer," Tripp said, feeling embarrassed, "My dad was over there on business and I went with him. The business took longer than he thought and I had a lot of free time…" he looked up to see them all hanging on his every word. He laughed slightly, alcohol did funny things to people, "I found this farm…MooMoo Farm it was called," he said with a grin, "there was a girl there called Clover, she was a bit older than me…not that it bothered her."

They all laughed at that.

"Okay, okay," Jay grimaced, "we don't need to hear all the details."

"Who was your first time with?" Cristine asked, smirking.

"I haven't done it," he mumbled; he turned so red one could almost hear the heat radiating from him.

"What?! What about Bianca?!" Tripp asked, his eyes as wide as saucers.

"We haven't done that yet," Jay mumbled mortified.

"Why not?" Tripp asked.

Candice smacked him in the back of the head.

"Calm down Tripp, some of us _are_ capable of keeping our underpants on…"

Cristine laughed at her friend's crude summary.

"Don't worry Jay," she said kindly, "it's more special your way," she stuck her tongue out at Tripp.

"Speaking of your underpants –" Candice began.

"Only you were talking about my pants," Tripp retorted.

Candice rolled her eyes, completely unfazed.

"You're gonna have to keep them on where Rose is concerned," she said sternly.

"You don't even know her!" Tripp scoffed.

"I don't need to," Candice said, folding her arms, "I know that if by some miracle she sleeps with you any time soon she'd regret it."

The table fell silent once more; Candice, they felt sure, was right.

"So what do I do?" Tripp asked glumly.

"I think you need to stick to being her friend only," Jay said wisely, "I doubt she's gonna be very friendly at all to you when she comes back. You're gonna have to concentrate really hard on getting her to trust you and be friends with you before you get anywhere _near_ the boyfriend stage."

Tripp nodded slowly.

"It also sounds like you're very in the wrong," Cristine added, "you'll have to try hard to impress her…show her you've changed…"

"Maybe cut your hair?" Jay suggested, "she once told me she didn't like long hair."

Tripp nodded again. He wouldn't mind cutting his hair; it had grown a little too long since he'd first arrived in Tarragon City - he'd be very happy to go back to his signature floppy look.

"And you'll just have to be nice to her," Cristine added, "nothing suggestive."

"And tone down on the arrogance," Jay suggested, "she said that you used to be way less arrogant…"

Tripp looked rather taken aback.

"What else did she tell you?"

"A lot," his friend grinned back at him.

All four of them laughed.

-o-

Pascalia screamed and snarled in fury. It had all gone according to plan. There had been no slip ups, no problems, everything had run smoothly. _Then why hadn't it worked?!_

She stood facing the entrance to Dill Rook, which in the past hour had been completely submerged in ice. Still the rock face remained unyielding. Pascalia bent down to the sack at her feet, the sack in which her army of ice type Pokémon were currently encased in their Pokéballs. Would another round of ice attacks do it? Would an extra blast of cold finally crack that damnably hard entrance? She picked up a Pokéball and threw it from hand to hand, trying to make a decision. Just as she decided that she would try another round with the ice attacks, she caught an alarmingly familiar scent downwind. _Dragon_.

Grabbing the sack she fled into the woods and into the cave where her three recruits were sat, pooling their ideas on how else they could get past the seemingly impenetrable rock face.

"Be quiet," Pascalia hissed as she entered the cave. The three looked up at in alarm but knew better than to question her order.

-o-

Lance and Clair dismounted smoothly from their Dragonites.

"So this is where the Garchomp are?" Clair asked, returning Dragonite to its Pokéball as she began to walk around the mountain base.

"Hmm," Lance muttered.

He turned sharply as he heard Clair gasp.

"What is it?" he asked, running around the mountain base until she once again came in to sight. She did not need to answer his question. His mouth all but fell open as he gazed at the large portion of the mountain base, presumably its entrance from the way the path was positioned, which was completely covered with thick, sparkling ice.

"Neither the Professor nor Cristine mentioned anything about any ice did they?"

Lance shook his head – he was as stumped as she was.

"There's definitely something weird going on here…"

"Who shall we tell first? The Professor? Or Fernando?"

"I honestly don't believe that Fernando will be any help…and I'm not saying that because he beat me!" Lance said upon noting that Clair's lips were twitching.

"Okay, okay point taken – he was fairly useless last time…"

"To Tarragon City?" Lance asked, enlarging his Pokéball.

"To Tarragon City," Clair affirmed.

-o-

Morty smiled as he glanced at Rose, curled up on his sofa with a cup of tea, her bright brown eyes dancing as she laughed. Although he had thoroughly enjoyed their evening together, as he knew he would, he couldn't shift that heavy, pressing feeling that had settled in his chest. He almost wished she had never come to Johto - almost. He could not fathom a scene in which they parted, perhaps for good…no. Never for good – he had decided that much.

"Helloo?" she asked, waving a hand in front of his face.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly, "I was thinking."

Rose only nodded. She could only too easily guess what had been on his mind and she had no desire to bring it up. She had been thinking anyway…there was no real hurry to go back…the Professor hadn't set a time limit, was he really going to mind if she stayed a while in Johto?

"Would you like another tea?" she asked, making her way to the kitchen.

Morty nodded and handed her his cup.

"Liquorice please," he smiled. Rose wrinkled her nose at him.

"I do _not_ know how you can drink it," she said, "it tastes rancid."

"It does not," he laughed, "it's really sweet!"

"Well I've never had much of a sweet tooth," she said, handing him his mug and settling down with her own, spearmint, tea, "I've been meaning to ask," she said, nudging him with her toe, "why ghost type?"

Morty was silent as he considered her question.

"You know, as a child I was all about the fire types."

"Really?" she asked in surprise.

"Mhmm, mainly because of Ho-Oh I think."

"Ho-Oh…" Rose frowned, that sounded familiar.

"Legendary bird Pokémon," he said helpfully, "it's supposed to look like a phoenix."

Rose nodded slowly; she was pretty sure she'd never seen a picture.

"Well, anyway," he continued, "there's a legend that Ho-Oh will only appear to the trainer who is 'pure of heart'," he said dramatically before laughing in spite of himself.

"Why're you laughing?" Rose grinned, "That sounds pretty cool to me."

"Would you think it was cool if I said that for the past couple of years, since I've been Gym Leader, I've been training in the Tin Tower in the hopes that Ho-Oh will appear?" he blushed.

"Not at all," she said seriously, blinking in surprise, "I think that's amazingly dedicated."

"Because it'll never happen?" he smirked.

"No, because you must have great faith to believe in Legendary Pokémon."

"So you don't believe in them?"

"I think I do," she said, after some thought, "I sort of believe anything _could _be possible if it can't be disproved…you know what I mean?"

Morty nodded enthusiastically, nearly spilling his tea.

"That's exactly what I believe!" he said, his violet eyes shining with pride at her, "how can anyone be so narrow-minded to say something_ doesn't _exist when they can have no real idea?!"

They spent a happy half hour debating philosophy before Morty's stomach rumbled.

"Want pudding?" he asked, making his way to the kitchen.

"You've made pudding?!"

"I always make pudding," Morty laughed, "I don't always eat it, but I like to know I have the option."

"When did you learn to cook?" Rose asked as she happily accepted a second bowl of cherry pie.

"When I started living alone," Morty said, "I began to get really sick of microwaveable meals, and there were only so many meals out my crappy Pokémon trainer salary could take," he laughed.

"Was this before you became the Gym Leader then?"

"Yeah, I travelled around a bit, got about as far as Olivine City when I heard that the post of Gym Leader had become available in Ecruteak…as it was my hometown it was pretty easy for me. I already knew all about the city and the legend of Ho-Oh, which is massive here, and the fact that one of the sages is my great uncle helps…according to legend, Ho-Oh appeared to my ancestors in the Tin Tower…"

"Really?" Rose breathed. Morty nodded.

"Apparently! My family have always been from Ecruteak, but Ho-Oh hasn't been seen in living memory."

Rose looked over and saw that he had a faraway look in his eyes.

"It must be amazing to have such a long and exciting family history…" she mused.

"There must be something interesting about your ancestors," he grinned.

Rose shook her head.

"Not that I know of; my mum's family are pretty run of the mill. I don't know anything about my dad's family to be honest. I assume he doesn't have any as I've never met them and mum's never mentioned them…"

"But you don't talk about your dad with your mum do you?" Morty asked quietly. Rose shook her head.

"No…"

"Well there you have it," he laughed, "Maybe your father's family have an incredibly interesting history…knowing you they're bound to be whacko, especially if you mum's family's normal…"

Rose shoved him off the sofa, but she laughed along with him.

"Bugger off," she said, "and you still haven't answered my question."

He looked at her in confusion, and she smiled before blushing as she took in his good looks.

"About why you train ghost type!"

"Why're you blushing?" he asked knowingly, grinning at her and only causing her to blush harder.

"I'm not blushing," she muttered, turning away from him.

He scoffed.

"Rose, I could fry an egg on your face, c'mon, fess up."

She made the mistake of glancing at him. His dark blond hair was falling messily into his beautiful, unusual eyes, and she could see his earring glinting in the dim light from the lamp beside them - she would die before admitting that his smile made her knees feel like jelly. Unfortunately, as seemed to be the case with Morty, she spoke the truth without meaning to.

"If you must know, I was just appreciating your good looks," she sniffed, folding her arms and looking determinedly at the rug. Another glance at him and she couldn't help but laugh. He had a stupid smile plastered all over his face.

"Good looks, huh?" he said, wiggling his eyebrows at her.

"Shut up," she giggled, pushing back on his shoulders as he pinned her to the sofa.

"Rose, Rose, Rose," he said, holding her hands above her head with ease as he started to kiss her neck. She felt her mind become hazy, "I'm glad you think I'm handsome," he said anticlimactically; she could feel him holding in his laughter.

"As if you didn't already know it," she said, rolling her eyes.

"One may realise that one is blessed with a pretty face," he said solemly, "and yet one still likes to hear it…doesn't one?"

She laughed at his ridiculousness before kissing his lips softly.

"I believe this one thinks she, too, is very good-looking…" Morty continued in his mock-serious voice, nibbling her ear lobe.

"Don't be so stupid," she laughed.

"So you don't think you're good looking?"

"I never said –"

"My, my, now who's the conceited one?" he grinned, aware he'd caught her.

Rose rolled her eyes and sat up, this time he let her.

"You're very annoying," she said - but he could see the corners of her mouth twitching.

"But oh so very handsome," he grinned, fluttering his eyelashes at her.

"Why do you train ghost types?" she asked, trying in vain to keep a straight face as he continued to flutter his eyelashes. Having achieved his goal in making her laugh, he leaned back next to her on the sofa.

"Honestly? Because Callisto gave me one. It was my first Pokémon, Gastly, and I had a lot of help from her. She's very passionate about ghost types, so I guess I just caught the fever."

"And you couldn't have just told me that half an hour ago?" Rose asked in exasperation.

"Why Rose, what would be the fun in that?" he grinned as she rolled her eyes again, "besides, I don't think you realise just how pretty you are when you're angry…"

She looked over to him to see that his violet eyes were dancing and she couldn't help herself; grinning she launched herself on top of him, sighing slightly as their lips met.

**AN: So, Rose and Tripp managed it! Are you really surprised? I doubt it. Thank you for all the reviews last time – I thoroughly enjoy the debates that come from them =D if you haven't reviewed, I'd love to hear from you (and I don't bite).**

**A xx**


	24. Chapter 24

"What is it?" The Professor asked as he surveyed the Dragon Tamers sat before him. Lance, however, turned to Cristine.

"The entrance to the mountain was covered in ice," he said grimly.

"Ice?" she repeated blankly, "what do you mean?"

"The entirety of the entrance has been deliberately covered in ice," Clair explained, "I assume this is news to both of you?"

The Professor and Cristine glanced at one another; it was certainly news to them.

"Well," The Professor began, frowning, "clearly this wasn't the work of the Garchomp…"

Lance shook his head in agreement.

"Garchomp is a dual ground type, it can't learn ice attacks, and besides, the ice was on the _outside_ of the mountain."

"As you know," Cristine said, "ice, if anything, is Dragons' weak point…maybe this is why the Garchomp are agitated? Perhaps an ice type Pokémon is trying to break in?"

"You didn't see that ice," Lance said, shaking his head, "no one Pokémon would be able to cover that much rock face in such a volume…"

"Ice type Pokémon are not native to Dill Woods," Professor Willow added, "so we can't even consider a horde of wild ice types working together."

The four adults sat quietly for a moment, none of them able to make any sense of it.

"I believe we need to act more quickly than I first thought," Professor Willow said quietly, taking his mobile phone from his lab coat and leaving the room to make a call.

"What's going on?" Clair asked.

"Rose is currently in Johto on research business," Cristine explained, "The Professor wanted her and Jay to examine the area around Dill Rook… I imagine he's chasing her up so that they can begin as soon as possible."

-o-

Rose would later come to think of that weekend as the 'Golden Weekend'. She and Morty spent the whole two days with only one another. They spent the daylight hours walking hand in hand in the countryside around Ecruteak, discussing anything and everything, and kissing in secluded places, before making their way to Morty's flat where he would cook and they would talk and laugh and simply enjoy one another's company.

On Monday morning she awoke, as usual, wrapped in Morty's arms, but, less usually, was awoken by a tinkling ringing sound that appeared to be coming from her rucksack. Leaping from the bed so that the noise did not wake Morty, she rummaged in her bag and finally pulled out her mobile phone. Frowning slightly in confusion she took the phone to the bathroom.

"Hello?" she said, her voice croaky from sleep.

"Ah Rose, my dear, are you well?"

"Professor! I-I'm fine, is everything okay?"

"Yes, yes, I was merely wondering if you had managed to complete the experiment?"

"I…er…yes, yes I have," she said quietly, unable to lie.

"Excellent! I assume all went well?"

"Yes I -"

"Good; now Rose, I know you are probably already planning it, but I need you back at the Lab as soon as possible," Rose felt her stomach drop unpleasantly, "I have not yet had time to tell you, but I wish you and Jay to do some further research for me around Dill Rook and Annatto City. As you well know, there are Garchomp incarcerated in Dill Rook and, as of late, there have been dramatic earth disturbances in these two places," Rose felt a roaring in her ears that was nothing to do with the Professor's words. She sat heavily on the toilet seat as the Professor continued to inform her, "Of course I understand that you have badges to collect and what-not, and I am still happy for this to be your priority - assuming there are no great changes of course - but I would rather that you two got underway as soon as possible…Rose dear?"

"I-I'm here," she stammered, her hands shaking slightly.

"Good, so you understand? If you could be back by Wednesday at the latest I would be most grateful; there are plenty of ferries on the weekdays. I must go now, Rose, I need to inform Lance and Clair of the plan, I'll see you very soon."

The line went dead.

"Rose?" Morty asked, peering his head around the open bathroom door, "Rose, what is it?" he asked; he knelt in front of her where she was perched on the toilet and wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"The Professor just called me," she whispered, "he wants me back…as soon as possible."

Morty frowned, resting his warm hands on her thighs.

"But why?" he asked, "Does he want the Leafeon?"

"Partly, but he has something new for me and Jay to do…"

"Do you want to?"

"Of course not," she half laughed at the absurdity of his question, "but it must be important. I think he said there were earthquakes around Dill Rook…he thinks it might be the Garchomp - I assume you know about the Garchomp?" she asked.

Morty nodded, waiting for her to elaborate. She couldn't bring herself to, however.

"I have to leave today," she said, her eyes filling with tears as she stared into his. He pulled her to a standing position and held her head against his chest as he stroked her hair.

"It'll be okay," he whispered, "it'll all be fine, we can visit…we'll still see each other…"

Rose nodded against him, trying desperately to staunch her tears. This day had been coming, she had always known it, although she didn't think it had to be so soon.

"If you wait until this evening I can drive you to Olivine City," he said, unsure where he got the composure to say all of that. But Rose shook her head.

"I think I need to just get going," she said honestly. She knew that if she waited around she would never leave. Morty nodded and swallowed hard before checking his watch.

"Well it's ten o'clock now, I'm not in the Gym until one today…I'll make breakfast," he said, "You go and…go and get ready."

Rose watched his back as he walked into the kitchen, but she knew him well enough not to follow him and, with a heavy heart, she made her way to the shower.

Morty only just resisted the urge to kick the kitchen cabinet as he heard the water of the shower start to run. Resting his hands on the counter, he allowed his head to drop and he felt a tear trickle down his nose. He knew to an outsider that he was ridiculous, that_ this_ was ridiculous…but it wasn't all in his head, she felt it too. That he was sure of. Wiping his eyes roughly he set to making their last breakfast together.

-o-

They spent the late morning leaning against one another in silence on the sofa, their hands clasped. At five to one, Morty stood and stared down at her, desperately trying to get his throat to work.

"I'll write to you soon," he said, his voice wavering. Rose bit down hard on her lip as she watched his failing attempts to compose himself. Standing up next to him, she could only nod in response. He kissed her forehead, her nose, and her lips and gave her a watery smile, avoiding her eyes. He could not do anymore, but she understood. Giving her a little nod, he grabbed his Pokéball belt and made his way downstairs to the Ecruteak Gym.

As soon as the door clicked shut, Rose flung herself onto the brown, leather sofa, but no tears came. A heavy weight was pressing on her chest and stomach and she found it incredibly hard to breathe properly, to get enough air into her lungs. Morty's lingering, spicy scent hung about his flat and she knew she couldn't say there a moment longer. Grabbing her rucksack, and taking one last glance around her, she closed the door for the last time.

-o-

She was grateful for the half hour walk to Azalea Town, for it allowed her to get a better grip on herself. When she finally arrived in Azalea her face was dry, only her slightly red eyes gave away her internal misery; not that anybody was paying her any attention.

She sighed audibly as she found her tent, still pitched in the clearing in the woods. She began to pack it, refusing to let her tears fall. When she had finished, she sat with her back against a young sapling. The ferry did not leave until ten o'clock that evening, and so she would need to get a taxi to Olivine at about half past seven…She wasn't in the mood to do anything or see anyone; the only person she wanted to see she couldn't. She vaguely wondered if she should go back to his flat, but decided against it. It had taken enough resolve to leave in the first place. She knew that if she returned, she may not have the will power to leave again.

She released Pikachu from his Pokéball and smiled as he clambered into her lap. He took one look at her face before snuggling into her. He had liked Morty a lot, and sensed that Rose had too.

Rose felt very old as she stroked Pikachu's soft back. She smiled slightly when she realised that the recent transition she had made hadn't been as earth shattering as she had anticipated. It had merely felt right with Morty. She wasn't sure what she would have expected, something more dramatic perhaps? But the fact that she was still the same person, that she still looked the same, didn't mean that she wasn't ready to have made that change…

Frowning slightly she looked down at Pikachu. She had checked his somatotropin levels not long before leaving Sesame. _He_ had certainly been ready for a long time too…Rose took a deep breath as she realised that it was her indecision, and perhaps immaturity, that had prevented Pikachu from being able to achieve his best.

Sensing her excitement, Pikachu watched as Rose rummaged in her rucksack and removed the Thunder Stone that the Professor had given her. Upon seeing it, Rose could have sworn that Pikachu smiled. As though he didn't trust her not to change her mind, he bounded forwards and grasped the stone in his paws – and began to change.

"Raichu!" the Pokémon exclaimed after his transformation was complete, rolling his eyes at his trainer.

"Finally, indeed!" Rose agreed laughing, her eyes hungrily taking in her new Pokémon. Raichu was far sturdier than Pikachu had been, and his fur was a rich, golden brown. His ears ended in a perfect curl, and even Rose could see that Raichu was enamoured of his new, magnificent tail.

"Whoa, is that yours?" Damien asked, emerging through the trees.

Rose looked up in alarm but relaxed upon seeing who it was.

"He is," she said, "I just evolved Pikachu."

"That's pretty darn cool, I've never seen a Raichu," Dameien grinned, "…hey, come with me will you?" he added, "Sam wants to thank you personally for helping to catch Farfetch'd!"

"Uh…don't worry, I don't really –"

"Aw come on," Damien said, hauling Rose to her feet by her arm, "Stop being so modest, and it's only ten minutes from here!"

Lack of energy and depression weren't a great combination for resistance, and Rose grumbled inwardly as she was all but dragged through the forest by Damien.

-o-

When she arrived at the, surprisingly large, wooden cabin she was hugged and kissed and passed drinks and offered crisps and snacks, and hugged again by the enthusiastic and forever grateful brothers.

She tried to smile and keep up with the chatter, but she really couldn't get in the mood. She assumed she had made a passable attempt, however, because none of the boys had mentioned anything.

She yelped as she glanced at the clock above the fireplace – it was nearly seven o'clock. She had absolutely no idea how time had gone so quickly; she had spent the last few hours caught up in the misery in her own mind.

"What is it?" Sam asked, frowning at her distress.

"I have to…have to get a ferry from Olivine City tonight," she said, frantically searching for her rucksack.

"Tonight?" Damien exclaimed, aghast, "you're not leaving tonight! It's my party! Everyone's coming over in a minute!"

Birthday party…yes, they had been talking about that all afternoon. Rose opened her mouth to retort but Damien cut across her.

"Aw come on, what's the difference if you leave tonight or tomorrow? There's always a ferry on Tuesday morning!" Damien whined.

"I don't mind driving you?" Sam offered, "I'm not going to drink much tonight anyway, got loads of balls to make tomorrow."

Rose didn't know what to say. Jack noticed the pained expression in her eyes, but before she could speak Will sat her back down on the sofa and handed her a beer.

"That's the spirit!" he said cheerfully, winking at Damien. Rose took the beer but continued to chew on her lip anxiously. She felt very claustrophobic, despite the airiness of the cabin. The four boys were bustling around, cooking pizzas and setting out crisps and more beers. She needed to get out of here, out of Johto…

"Did you catch Morty?" Damien called to Sam across the room. Rose's head snapped up; her heart began to beat furiously against her ribs.

"Yeah, I bumped into him at lunch," Sam replied casually, "he said he wasn't coming."

Rose's stomach plummeted.

"He's such an arsehole," Damien said rolling his eyes, "he never comes anymore…"

"He seemed a little 'off' to me," Sam said thoughtfully.

"'Off'?" Will asked, confused.

"Didn't seem himself," Sam elaborated.

"Was he okay?" Rose piped up suddenly.

Jack turned to scrutinise her; her eyes were oddly bright and her fist, the one that wasn't holding the beer, was clenched on her leg. The other three brothers turned to her in surprise, but none of them found the question suspicious.

"Um…he's fine I think, just acting a little oddly…more oddly than usual that is," Sam grinned.

"Why you asking?" Damien asked her curiously.

"N-no reason," she stammered.

Damien shrugged and took another swig of his beer. Rose followed suit and pulled a face as she swallowed the drink.

"You don't like beer?" Will grinned.

"Never really tried it," Rose said, with a half smile. Despite the taste, she continued to drink it, almost downing the bottle. The four boys cheered and Rose blushed slightly. She felt slightly light-headed, but the sensation wasn't altogether unpleasant.

"Thought you hadn't drunk it before?" Sam asked, laughing as he handed her another.

Rose shrugged, and threw down another few gulps of her fresh beer. Damien eyed her appreciatively. He had had a thing for her since he first saw her. He grinned at her smooth brown legs in her little denim shorts and her long curly hair that she had tied in a ponytail. He had a strange urge to smell her hair, to run his hands through it…

There were three loud knocks at the cabin door. Damien sprung up to admit his guests, and Rose continued to down her drink, which didn't taste half as bad as the first one had.

In no time at all the spacious cabin felt very small. Rose hadn't realised that Azalea and Ecruteak were home to so many young people. Damien had even managed to hire a DJ and the cabin was reverberating with loud music; the coloured lights and smoke machine created a surreal atmosphere - Rose would never have guessed she was in a wooden cabin had she not known. She leant against the wall, apart from the action, sipping her fourth beer and watching the party through lifeless, unfocused eyes.

"Hey."

She looked left to see Jack, the youngest of the brothers, smiling at her.

"Hey Jack," she slurred slightly, "you okay?"

"Fine, how about you?" he asked.

She could hear the concern in his voice and deliberately did not meet his earnest eyes.

"All's good with me," she smiled tightly before taking another swig of beer.

"Is it?" he asked doubtfully.

Rose merely nodded.

"Well, if it's not…I'll just be lurking in the smoke somewhere," he said gesturing towards the smoke machine. Rose couldn't help but let out a giggle, he was a nice guy. Once she started giggling, however, she couldn't seem to stop.

"Come and dance with me," she laughed, grabbing Jack and pulling him to what had become the dance floor in their kitchen; the table had been pushed against the wall and the open floorplan of the cabin meant that there was plenty of room for the thirty or so people here to dance.

Jack noticed that her eyes, despite being bright, were rather wet, but he chose not to mention it – not that she would have been able to hear him over the party ruckus anyway.

At one point Rose span a little erratically and nearly lost her balance, her beer slopping everywhere.

"Whoa!" Damien said, grabbing her and holding her up where he was passing. He looked into her face and saw with surprise that her eyes were wet, "You okay?" he asked.

"Ugh!" someone said to her right, "who just got beer all over me?"

Miki, the kimono dancer, turned to face Rose and Damien, and her face turned sour.

"It was an accident Miki," Damien said smoothly, smiling at her, his arm tight around Rose's waist.

"Rose isn't it?" Miki asked.

"You know each other?" Damien asked in shock before laughing, "You've only been here a week Rose! You know Miki, Morty…who else?"

"Oh I'm sure she knows Morty _very _well," Miki snapped maliciously, her delicate eyebrows raised in sarcasm.

"Eh?" Damien smiled, bemused.

Rose cleared her throat.

"Sorry about your dress Miki," she said, turning to leave.

"Be careful with Morty," Miki hissed, "I'm sure he had a _great_ excuse for not being here tonight."

Rose rolled her eyes as she continued to walk away. She really couldn't be dealing with petty jealousy. She made her way back to the kitchen where she grabbed another beer from the counter.

"How many you had, Rose?" Will asked, watching her try to open the bottle without much success. Rose shrugged. She didn't really care.

"Well…maybe you should stop?" he suggested.

Rose rolled her eyes. She finally managed to get the top off and walked away - she wasn't there to hear any lectures. She left Will and made her clumsy way back through the party. She didn't know anyone except the brothers, and they seemed too busy to notice her anyway. Walking out of the front door she leant against the cabin wall, reeling slightly in the cool night air. She could feel her chest aching slightly, but her mind wasn't quite able to coherently think why. This was good. She drank more of her beer and slid down the wall so that she was sat on the grassy floor. Her head continued to spin lazily, but she continued to drink. She really couldn't deal with thinking right now.

She wasn't sure how long she sat outside, but she was dimly aware that her behind was very numb. She vaguely noticed that people were starting to leave the cabin, and make their way back to town through the woods. After another short while the door opened once again. Rose's head lolled from side to side as she upended her beer bottle for the third time, only to find it was empty…again.

"Hey, Rose," she heard Damien say. He grabbed her hand and hauled her to her feet, catching her when she staggered; "watch out there…you okay?"

"I'm _fine_…fine!" she said blearily, "fine fine!" she repeated, laughing.

Damien began to laugh too, although he was fairly certain he'd missed something. She was laughing hysterically, tears pouring down her face, her hands grasping at his shoulders as she struggled to remain upright. He wasn't aware that her tears were not tears of mirth; perhaps if he had realised he would have acted differently.

Rose started as she felt his lips against hers. She didn't want to kiss him, but her hands were caught between both of their chests, and she didn't have the energy to speak. He continued to kiss her and after a while she found herself kissing him back, forgetting who she was as the alcohol haze took over her brain.

-o-

"Hey Tripp," Jay said, pushing his bedroom door open on Monday morning, "Professor Willow said Rose should be back today or tomorrow."

"Really? For sure?" Tripp grinned, leaping up from his bed.

Jay nodded happily, he couldn't wait to see her again either.

"Do you still want to cut your hair? Bianca said she'll do it?"

"Bianca can cut hair?"

"She's part Italian, of course she can cut hair!" Jay laughed.

"Wow! Thanks!" Tripp said about an hour later. Bianca had practically made his hair look just like it had when he left Chicory Town, if not better, "How much do I owe you?"

"Don't be so stupid," Bianca smiled, cleaning her scissors.

"Well I'll at least get you lunch?"

"Watch it," Jay said, pretending to be menacing. Tripp laughed and smacked him around the head. Bianca averted her eyes; she was glad that Jay and Tripp had repaired their friendship, but she wasn't entirely on board with the whole Rose/Tripp matchmaking thing. Had they all forgotten what had happened? Only just over a week ago?!

"Tripp, I've been meaning to say, assuming you get on Rose's good side, you should come with us when we go!"

Tripp chewed on his bottom lip. He was hurt that the Professor had gone behind his back and all but planned the next part of Rose's journey for her with Jay.

"What if I don't get on her good side?" he asked nervously.

"Course you will," Jay said easily. Bianca raised her eyebrows, but it went unnoticed. She couldn't believe that the boys were talking about _Rose_. If she forgave Tripp within a couple of days Bianca vowed to herself that she would eat her scissors.

"Where're Candice and Cristine?"

"They went with Lance and Clair to check out that ice on the face of Dill Rook,"

"How come?" Tripp asked.

"Well, they're ice type experts I suppose, I guess they're trying to help them figure out what's going on," Jay shrugged.

"Hey – did you hear that Lance challenged the Sesame Champion and _lost_?!"

"He lost?" Jay repeated, his mouth agape. Lance was supposedly the strongest Pokémon trainer of the times.

"Yup," Tripp grinned, "so I guess Johto can no longer boast about having the strongest Pokémon trainers," he added gleefully.

"But didn't you say Fuego was his uncle?" Bianca asked.

"Yeah…"

"Then I guess the Sesame Champion is actually from Johto," Jay said.

"Darn," Tripp said, before laughing. He was really in a very good mood.

-o-

Only once the scent of Dragon finally faded did Pascalia dare leave her cave. She had heard them, Lance, Clair, and two others. Pascalia couldn't help but smile at their ignorance, their inane theories as to where the ice had come from.

She approached the colossal mountain front, carrying the sack of Pokéballs with her. She would spend all night here if she had to. She released all of her ice Pokémon, and ordered them to use Ice Beam together, re-hardening their previous effort. After half an hour, the Pokémon were flagging, but the rock face still showed no sign of yielding.

Pascalia felt the Draco Silicis burn white hot against her cold, dry skin. She closed her eyes and tuned in with the Dragon Pokémon, who were desperately communicating with her through the impenetrable stone.

_Soon_, she whispered in the ancient language. _I'm trying…it's not working…_ she thought desperately in response to their piteous shrieks and roars. The ground beneath her feet began to tremble slightly, and she concentrated hard on soothing the Garchomp with her mind. She could not risk any more earthquakes, not now the locals were starting to interfere.

_And Clair…and Lance._

Pascalia scoffed. They would never find out her plan, not until it was much, much too late. She scowled at the ice, which was twinkling mockingly at her in the moonlight, before making her way back through the woods. She would find out how to get through. She hadn't come this far to be thwarted. She thought for a moment of her grandfather; he would be so proud, she knew. She couldn't wait to see the look on his face.

-o-

Morty sat alone on the roof of the Tin Tower. The night was clear, but cold, each star standing out brightly in contrast to the inky black sky.

He knew that she would have been long gone by the time he returned from the Gym, but he couldn't help but hope. It had been too much to spend the evening in his tiny flat, which felt horribly large and empty in her absence. _And so it begins again_, he thought dully. Back to his previous, lonely existence; since becoming Gym Leader he worked himself too hard to see his friends socially. It hadn't been too bad until Eusine had run off in pursuit of Suicune, but that was over a year ago now…

Rose had made everything bright again; she had made his heart feel warm, and now she had gone. Morty scowled as he wrapped his scarf tighter around his neck and glanced upwards at the empty sky. There was no point in sitting here, he thought mutinously, standing up, Ho-Oh wasn't going to come.

He made his way back to his flat and got into bed, sighing audibly as he smelt the lavender scent of her hair upon his pillow.

-o-

"Lance," Fernando said coolly upon spotting his nephew and niece, "I must say, I wasn't expecting a rematch _quite_ this soon…"

"I'm not here for a rematch," Lance said, gritting his teeth.

"Wise," Fernando smiled mockingly.

Sensing her fiancé's anger, Clair took over.

"We need to talk to you about Dill Rook," she said.

Fernando rolled his eyes dramatically.

"What about it?"

"We visited there yesterday, both morning and night, and both times the entrance to the mountain, the one that _you_ sealed, was covered in ice."

If Clair had hoped that this would get a reaction from her uncle, she was sorely mistaken.

"Are the Garchomp free?" Fernando asked lazily, already knowing the answer.

"No, but –"

"And nobody has been hurt by these earth tremors?"

"Not yet, but –"

"Then please tell me, Clair, what you expect me to do about it?"

"We thought you might have some idea!" Lance shouted in exasperation. He had the distinct impression that his uncle was being deliberately unhelpful.

"Well I haven't. Why don't you ask that Professor? _He_ has plenty of opinions on everything…"

"We went to him first!" Clair retorted, hoping to anger Fernando; again she was disappointed.

"And I think you'll find that the Professor is highly talented," Lance said coolly, "I assume you saw his broadcast on television last week?"

"I do not watch television," Fernando replied, his deep voice infuriatingly calm.

"Well he discovered two new Eevee evolutions, and in_ this_ past week he discovered two more!"

"Eevee already has a fire type evolution…why would I be interested in any other?" Fernando asked insolently, one dark eyebrow raised.

"Let's go Lance," Clair said in disgust, taking him by the hand and leaving the Champion's quarters.

After they left, Fernando smiled slightly as he gazed into the open fire by his leather armchair. The smile was short-lived however. Too soon, his momentary amusement evaporated and his long-settled depression flared in his soul. The life disappeared from his brown eyes, despite their reflection of the merrily dancing flames.

-o-

Rose awoke suddenly as though she has been doused in freezing water. Slowly, she took in her surroundings in mute horror, her head feeling as though it were about to split from both pain and dread.

She leapt from Damien's bed, fully-clothed (her dazed mind was at least pleased to note), and clasped one hand to her mouth as her stomach lurched. Unable to remember which part of the cabin she was in, she merely ran for the window and managed to wrench it open before being violently sick outside.

Her hands shaking, she shut the window, before closing her eyes in a desperate attempt to remember what had happened. She came up blank.

From the bed, Damien, who too was fully-clothed, opened one eye blearily before clutching his head.

"Wassup with you?" he asked hollowly as he took in her wide eyes and pale face. He frowned slightly when she didn't answer, "We only snogged if that's what you're worried about," he grinned, stretching.

Rose nodded pathetically before leaving his bedroom. She began the frantic search for her rucksack, tears pouring down her cheeks. She couldn't even begin to think about what she had or hadn't done.

"Rose?" she heard Sam call; he came padding out of the kitchen fully dressed, "What's the matter?" he asked, sounding slightly alarmed at her appearance.

Rose could only shake her head. Satisfied that all of her Pokéballs were on her Pokéball belt she turned to the oldest of the brothers.

"Can we leave?" she asked, her voice breaking.

Sam checked his watch.

"Sure, if you're ready. You don't want breakfast?"

"No…thanks," she said, pursing her lips, the thought making her feel queasy.

Sam nodded, believing he understood: according to her she had never really drunk before, she was bound to be feeling rough. He grabbed her some headache tablets and a bottle of water from the cupboard before taking her rucksack out to his car. Rose followed him as though in a trance.

The two hour car journey was spent half-dozing. Sam didn't mind – he knew what it was like to have a raging hangover. Finally, at nine in the morning, they arrived in Olivine City.

"Thank you Sam," she whispered as he handed her bag to her.

"Don't mention it," he grinned, "come back and visit yeah?"

She nodded jerkily, unable to speak. How could she ever come back here? As fresh tears threatened to fall she turned and ran towards the port.

"Thank you again!" she called over her shoulder, unable to say anymore lest he hear the sob in her voice.

"Bye Rose!" he waved. Shaking his head slightly he got back in his car. She was a weird one all right.

-o-

In one way, Rose was very grateful for her hangover, for she was able to sleep the whole thirty-two hour journey. Nevertheless it had taken every ounce of her strength not to burst into tears and collapse in a heap on the deck when she passed the place she and Morty had first met on her way to Johto.

She was woken thirty-two hours later, alone in her cabin, by the captain's announcement of their arrival at Fenugreek Port. Rose got up from her bed, relieved that she at least didn't feel sick anymore, and, grabbing her things, she made her way out into the weak autumn sunlight.

With the salty sea air of Fenugreek on her face, it hit her that she was finally back in Sesame. The thought threatened to engulf her with despair before her mind, no doubt as a defence mechanism, reminded her of his words.

"_It'll all be fine, we can visit…we'll still see each other…"_

She took a great, shuddering breath as the previous morning's events flooded her mind. She couldn't think of it. Not yet. The barriers of her mind had grown weaker over the last few months however, and she was unable to prevent the thoughts tumbling around her head.

_I've ruined everything. How can I ever face him again? How would he ever trust me? I told him I _loved_ him…_

She sunk onto one of Fenugreek's many benches and cried weakly into her hands until her eyes stung and her throat ached. She started as something vibrated at her feet. Wiping her eyes she groped in her rucksack and pulled out her mobile phone.

"Hello?" she answered, desperately trying to hide the waver in her voice.

"Rose! Thank goodness – where are you? Are you in Sesame?"

She managed to reply somehow, and before she realised what was happening, a taxi pulled up in front of her, ready to escort her back to Tarragon Laboratory.

-o-

"I don't want any dinner, Professor," Rose said hollowly before Professor Willow could even speak. She sidled past him into the Laboratory and began to make her way up the East staircase.

"But, Rose, you must be starving, and…and everyone's waiting for you?"

Rose grimaced but continued her ascent.

"Thank you, but all I want to do is go to bed."

Professor Willow frowned as he watched her go. He had honestly thought that Johto would be good for her. She looked so distraught and exhausted, despite her façade, that he hadn't even the heart to ask her about the Eevee.

Finally in her bedroom, Rose dropped her rucksack on the floor and without removing her shoes, she collapsed onto her bed. She desperately tried to sleep, tried to empty her mind of all thought, but his scent was still too vivid upon her skin and, much like her first night in the Laboratory, she did not sleep a wink. She couldn't help but laugh weakly as she remembered how upset she thought she had been that very first night, but the laugh was soon smothered by her wracking sobs as violet eyes smiled at her from behind her own.

**AN: A chapter somewhat miserable in tone. Apologies. It was never going to be a smooth departure.**

**Now, I don't want any of you to blame Rose…too much. As I tried to imply her and Damien really did no more than kiss. She, as mentioned, does not really recall any of it, but that isn't stopping her gut-wrenching guilt. Aaah the effects of alcohol coupled with depression…**

**Also, Pikachu's evolved. Raichu is my favourite Pokémon and I always wished that Ash would have evolved his. That's the fun of fanfiction I guess – complete control (;**

**I hope you enjoyed and look forward to hearing from you (:**

**Also a couple of you have PM'd me asking what I imagine my characters look like and whether or not I imagine then as real/anime. Well, if you do wanna know, drop me a message as I can't be bothered to type it all out here (:**

**A xx**


	25. Chapter 25

Morty woke early feeling sick and dizzy. Looking over at his alarm clock he saw that it was only six o'clock and turned over in an attempt to go back to sleep. After twenty minutes, however, he felt even worse and swung his legs out of bed. Making his way to the bathroom he vaguely wondered if sitting on the top of the Tin Tower for the most of the night had been the best idea…

He still felt distinctly odd after his shower, however, and decided that he needed to get some air to clear his head.

Ecruteak City was still sleeping, for the most part, but Morty still preferred to run outside of the city walls. He pushed himself, hard, all the better to clear his head of this dizzying sickness - and thoughts of Rose that he wasn't able to keep at bay. He ran through the Berry Orchard where he had taken Rose after their first lunch together – and all went black: an intensely impenetrable darkness, pressing upon his eyes with an almost physical force until, suddenly, a blinding burst of yellow-orange flame, obscuring the darkness, smokeless, unquenchable, and yet indescribably relieving after the blackness.

Morty's eyes snapped open; he found himself gasping for breath, flat on his back in the Berry Orchard. Shakily, he got to his feet and glanced around him. There was nobody there. Resting his hands on his thighs he tried to regain his breath. His sickness and dizziness had all but gone.

_But what was that…that vision?_ Morty felt himself break out in an icy sweat as he considered it. _Please not that_, he begged to nobody in particular, _anything…anything but that…_

He started to make his way back to his flat, desperately trying to convince himself that it had been nothing. A lapse in concentration - he had been running too hard. That was all.

-o-

As was customary on Tuesday afternoons, Morty made his way to Violet City's Pokémon School, where his father taught, to give a talk to the children on ghost type Pokémon.

"Hello son!" his father called cheerfully, handing each child a mini blackboard and a piece of chalk; Morty liked his lessons to be interactive.

"Hey Dad," he said, trying to smile normally. He still felt a little odd and, although it petrified him to admit it, his dizziness had been getting worse again all afternoon.

"How've you been keeping?" his father, Hector, asked, "neither your mother nor I have heard from you all week!"

Morty smiled slightly as he realised this was the truth. He had not called his parents once due to his preoccupation with Rose.

"Why're you blushing son?" Hector asked curiously, able to make a pretty good guess.

"I'm not blushing Dad!" Morty scowled, turning even redder. There was no way he was ready to have his relationship, or whatever it was, picked over and analysed by his well-meaning, but nosy, parents.

"Okay, okay!" Hector back-tracked knowingly. Morty wasn't usually so private – it must be serious; he smiled to himself.

Once the children were settled in their semi-circle, Morty took his usual seat in front of them.

"Hello Morty!" they all chimed excitedly. They enjoyed this hour with the Ecruteak Gym Leader. He made learning fun.

"Hello everyone!" he said, smiling. Hector frowned as Morty spoke – he sounded very drained.

"Now, who can tell me what we learned last time?"

The children were silent, all too shy to speak first.

"Come on!" Morty probed, "what did we learn about normal type Pokémon and ghosts?"

"Oh! Oh!" one little boy squealed, his hand raised in the air, "normal type attacks don't affect ghost Pokémon!"

He eagerly awaited Morty's praise, which was warm and highly sought after by the children - but none came.

Hector glanced over at his son in concern. He was holding his head in his hands.

"Morty? _Morty_?" he asked, shaking his son's shoulder, the panic rising in his chest. Morty wasn't responding.

Hector looked desperately back to the semi-circle of wide eyed children.

"G-go outside and play for a bit kids," he said in a would-be calm voice, "Morty's a bit tired today."

As soon as the children filtered out, Hector hauled his son from the chair to the floor and placed him in the recovery position. He appeared to have passed out and was a dead weight. His dark blond hair was sticking to his forehead in a cold sweat, and his top clung to his clammy torso. Hector checked his airways – he was still breathing. He slapped his son hard on the cheek, desperate to generate a response. To his relief, Morty's violet eyes slid open slowly.

"Oh thank God!" his father breathed, hand on his heart, "Morty, are you all right? Can you hear me?"

Morty shakily raised himself on his arms, looking a little puzzled as to where he was.

"I can hear you," he said quietly, pressing his fingers to his temples.

"What's the matter? Are you ill? Have you eaten?"

Morty looked his father straight in the eyes.

"I think it's happening again Dad," he said softly.

-o-

Professor Willow couldn't bring himself to feel angry with Rose (despite the fact he wanted her back on Tuesday at the latest and it was now Thursday) because she looked so very lost as she stood outside his office door.

"I'm sorry about last night, Professor Willow," she said quietly, closing the office door behind her and taking a seat on the green leather sofa.

"Don't worry dear," the Professor said kindly, "you were bound to be tired after that journey. Are you well now?"

"I'm fine thank you," she smiled tightly. He couldn't help but notice that the smile did not reach her eyes.

She silently handed him the thick file and the Pokéball and couldn't help giving a small laugh at the excitement on the old man's face.

-o-

Rose was greeted by a wall of sound as she entered the breakfast room after her meeting with the Professor.

"Rose!" Jay all but squealed, enclosing her in a rib-crushing hug.

"Hello Jay," she said quietly, her face crushed against his chest.

He held her by the shoulders and looked at her.

"God I've missed you," he beamed, "what was Johto like? Did you have a good time? What type's the Eevee?"

"Let her breathe Jay," she heard someone remark. Sat at the breakfast table, leaning back in his chair, was Tripp.

"It's fine," she said, attempting to smile at the pair of them. Jay caught Tripp's eye and they grinned at one another. They hadn't necessarily expected her to acknowledge Tripp so soon – it was going well.

"So, tell us everything!" Jay laughed, "Although you might want to wait for Cristine and Candice to come downstairs first, they're probably going to be late to breakfast; they didn't get back from Dill Rook until the early hours of the morning."

"What?" Rose asked in confusion, pouring herself a cup of tea. She didn't think she could stand eating.

"Of course! You don't even know!" Jay groaned.

"What's happened?" Rose asked, interested despite the wrenching feeling that had been constantly twisting her stomach since the Tuesday morning.

"We'll let the Professor fill you in," Tripp said hesitantly, knowing she didn't like to be kept in the dark, and also wondering if she was really talking to him.

"Okay," she shrugged, surprising both of the boys, "so when did you get back Tripp?"

Tripp could feel his heart beating in excitement. How could this be? She didn't even sound annoyed! A little flat, maybe, but she had had a really long ferry journey…other than that she sounded just like she did before they even arrived at Tarragon City. Tripp couldn't help but grin at Jay through his mouthful of toast.

"I got back on Saturday night," he said, "Candice came with me."

Rose felt slightly surprised, despite her misery, that he came back so soon.

"Who's Candice?" she asked, frowning slightly as she sipped her tea.

"She's the Gym Leader in Snowpoint City in Sinnoh."

"And she came back with you?"

_Was she jealous?_ Tripp wondered, _oh please let her be jealous!_

"Yeah, we became good friends, I stayed with her as the whole place was so fucking cold!" he laughed, hoping to ignite her jealously further. Rose gave a pained smile and Tripp's heart soared. Only Jay noticed the faraway expression in her eyes - the expression that didn't quite spell jealousy to him. His curiosity kindled, Jay watched Rose throughout breakfast. There was definitely something on her mind. When she wasn't deliberately laughing at Tripp's jokes or ensuring that she answered both of their questions, her face reverted into lines of misery. Considering she had also skipped dinner the night before, Jay was very aware that all she was drinking this morning was a cup of black tea.

-o-

"Can you believe it?" Tripp whispered, wide-eyed as he snuck into Jay's bedroom. Rose was in the shower, but there was no way he wanted to risk her overhearing.

Jay could only frown in response.

"I must say, her attitude surprised me. I thought she'd be…I dunno, a lot more…?"

"Psycho?" Tripp offered.

Jay laughed loudly.

"I was going to say 'unforgiving', but I guess 'psycho' works too."

Tripp smiled happily and lay back on his friend's bed.

"I can't believe it though…" he mused, "d'you reckon she just needed the time away? To realise it's not such a big deal?" Tripp blanched as he realised what he had said, "mate – with Amy -"

Jay rolled his eyes. It bored him how Tripp spluttered and blushed every time it came up.

"Can you just forget it?" he asked, exasperated. Tripp grinned guiltily, "As to Rose…I don't know. I find it very surprising if she's forgiven you, no offence buddy, but she was ready to have your head."

Tripp shrugged, it was the truth after all.

"But, saying that, she was politer to you at breakfast than I've ever seen her…"

"That's what we used to be like!" Tripp said, becoming animated, "before any of the crap here happened – she must forgive me! Why else would she be normal?"

Jay chewed on his bottom lip. On paper it made sense, but Rose was so much more…complicated than that.

"I'm not sure. Don't push her though, remember? Remember what Candice and Cristine said. If she_ has_ forgiven you I'd say count your lucky stars…"

Tripp rolled his eyes at his friend.

"I'm not about to _jump_ her," he said indignantly. Although, he wouldn't mind kissing her again, feeling that strange electricity that only she seemed able to generate…

"Happy enough to think about it though," Jay smirked, noting Tripp's glassy-eyed expression.

"Shut up," Tripp growled, his cheeks flaming.

-o-

Rose took rather longer than she normally would in the shower. She had spent the last two days trying desperately hard _not_ to think, and had found herself at breaking point. Sitting in the shower cubicle, the hot water pounding down on her, she did not attempt to stop the tears rolling down her cheeks. She was disgusted with herself first and foremost. Who was she, to get blindly drunk and hop into bed, whether or not she was fully clothed, with a boy she didn't even care for? And Morty…how could she ever face him again? Yes, she had been depressed, of course she had, but she would have bet her right arm that Morty hadn't spent Monday night getting wasted and snogging some other girl senseless. She so desperately wished to speak to him, to hear his voice, but how could she? She could not lie to him, nor could she tell him what she had done.

She continued to sob loudly, grateful for the thrum of the shower that drowned out the noise. She was genuinely at a loss; the thought of never speaking to him again physically hurt her in the chest, but was the alternative much better? If _he_ were the one refusing to speak to her…? Her eyes welled up once more at the mere thought of his face. If only she could have another drink tonight…

-o-

"What do you mean you're fine?" Isadora snapped, peering into her son's eyes – the exact same shade of violet as hers.

"I'm probably just exhausted," Morty insisted, avoiding his parents' eyes, "I had a really busy week last week."

"And that's why you didn't call or visit?" Isadora asked, her eyes narrowed, "or was it because you were too ill? Hmm?"

"It's because I was _busy_," Morty snarled through gritted teeth. He really regretted agreeing to come to his parents' house - they had moved to Violet City a few years ago to be closer to the School.

"It wouldn't be hard for us to check if you were lying, son," Hector threatened, crossing his arms, "your great uncle would know whether or not you were at the Gym."

"Ask him then!" Morty shouted, standing up from where he had been unceremoniously seated at the kitchen table, "I was at the Gym last week every time I was supposed to be. No challengers beat me. I only started feeling odd this morning. It's probably _nothing_!"

His parents were stunned. Morty did not shout.

"Well Morty," Hector began, affronted, "we're only concerned, and you yourself said you thought it was back again."

Morty pinched the bridge of his nose. Yes, he had said that. Why was he always so bloody truthful?

"Well I think I was mistaken," he said, stubbornly.

Isadora and Hector exchanged glances and Morty could feel himself fuming with anger.

"I'm going to get back," he said, making to leave.

"Morty," Isadora said, gazing at her son with worry evident in her eyes, "if your clairvoyance _is _coming back…I think you should stay here with us for a while."

She had said it. She had said the word. Morty slumped back into the kitchen chair and looked up at his parents. He loved them, but by _God _they could be overbearing.

"It might not be that," he said quietly.

"But it probably is, son," his father said gently, "nobody was entirely sure why your…gift…disappeared, therefore there was no guarantee it wasn't going to return."

Morty sighed heavily and rested his head in his arms on the kitchen table. His childhood had been full of love and laughter; he spent every waking moment with his best friends Callisto and Eusine. It would have been perfect - but for his clairvoyance. As a small child it had made him very ill. Every flaming vision would be preceded by sickness and dizziness. Often his small body was too weak to deal with it and he would pass out on these days, sometimes as many as three times. As he grew a little older, when he was in his early teens, he grew better able to control it. He didn't enjoy the visions particularly, which usually revolved around darkness and light, one triumphing over the other, sometimes taking it in turns, sometimes not, but he no longer felt the sickness. Tiredness yes, but not sickness. He continued to grow stronger, and when he was about sixteen he almost enjoyed his 'gift', for it meant he was able to communicate with Pokémon like nobody else could. He could travel into their minds and hear their thoughts: after Callisto gifted him his Gastly, the two, strengthened by his clairvoyance, became inseparable. And then, seemingly out of nowhere, the 'gift' disappeared. He had been experiencing visions up to three or four times a day and then, all of a sudden, it stopped. His parents and the sages of the Ecruteak and Violet City Towers had been most confused at the abrupt cessation, but Morty thought he knew why…he seemed to lose his powers the night he lost his virginity…

Morty found himself blushing as he remembered.

It had been a rather embarrassing affair. He was a little tipsy and Damien and Sam were holding a party, their grandfather being out of town…the girl had not been a virgin, and was all too ready to laugh at Morty who honestly had no idea what he was doing…

Morty shook his head slightly to dispel the awkward memories. He couldn't tell his parents or the sages about _that_ – it was far too humiliating. But why were the visions coming back? And why, once again, was he so ill-equipped to deal with them?

He raised his head to see his parents still watching him, their eyes wide with concern.

"Even if it has returned," he finally said, "I can't stay here in Violet City…I'm going back to Ecruteak – now."

His parents nodded slowly.

"I'll drop by tomorrow…and Ma? Dad?"

"Yes son?"

"Thank you," he sighed.

-o-

Later on Thursday evening, Rose found herself in Professor Willow's study once again. He had explained everything he knew regarding Dill Rook to her; the mysterious ice, and the dangerous effects of the Garchomp's presumed rage.

"Now, I wanted you back from Johto as soon as possible because of all this ice business. Strangely the appearance of the ice has correlated with a decrease in earth tremors…nevertheless the situation needs to be monitored, but perhaps not quite as urgently as I first thought."

Rose did not answer. She dully considered that had the Professor given the situation some more thought, she might still be in Ecruteak City…might never have gone to Damien's party, not alone anyway…

"That being said, I wish you to leave before Sunday."

Rose nodded.

"Tripp wishes to join you and Jay, if you do not object?"

Rose shook her head, before realising she was probably being rude.

"Of course I don't object Professor," she said hollowly.

Professor Willow surveyed her, but finally nodded.

"Good, well that was all I had to say. Off you pop now!"

As Rose made her way up to her bedroom she couldn't help but marvel at how drastically her feelings had altered. Before leaving Sesame she thought she had felt completely lost. She and Tripp had had their problems, but he completely shocked her when he slept with Amy, she never would have thought he would do something like that. Going to Johto, she felt, was necessary for her, to give her the clearance of mind she needed. On the ferry she met Morty: Morty made her forget everything that evening, they laughed and talked and she genuinely enjoyed herself when she never would have thought it possible. Little did she know then that meeting him was her true turning point. In those few days, everything changed. When he kissed her she felt transformed. Tripp's actions didn't matter, Pokémon training didn't matter, even Pokémon Medicine, her true passion, could take the back seat. She wasn't a romantic, but he made everything feel warm - he made everything_ right_ again.

She stopped dead on the stairs as she remembered. How could she have forgotten, even for a moment? No matter how warm he made her heart, she knew she had shattered his, and hers along with it.

-o-

"What _is_ up with Rose d'you reckon?" Tripp muttered to Jay as they pitched their tents. Tripp had finally noticed what Jay had picked up upon the first day of seeing Rose again – she wasn't herself.

It was Saturday evening and the three of them were finally on the road to Woodruff City.

"I really haven't a clue," Jay whispered back, fiddling with the tent poles. Tripp took them from him and began pitching his tent without thinking, "I'm guessing something happened in Johto? Has she told you anything about her time there?"

Tripp shook his head, frowning.

"No…I did ask but she sort of avoided the question…"

"Hmm," Jay answered darkly, squinting over at her. She was sat by the fire, mindlessly stroking Raichu, "whatever it is, I don't think it's anything _we've_ done…she's perfectly friendly when she's not stuck inside her own head…"

Tripp had to agree there. He was even feeling slightly wrong-footed by her overt friendliness which, if not particularly enthusiastic, seemed to hold no animosity whatsoever.

"Maybe she'll talk when she's ready?" Jay suggested.

Tripp shook his head grimly.

"You haven't known her as long as me…if she's not saying it now she'll never say it. Unless she has to, that is."

Jay remembered the evening they had spent together in Tarragon Park when she had confided everything to him. He felt inclined to agree with Tripp. She only spoke then because she had no other option: it was divulge or go crazy. Jay sighed heavily. She looked so desolate. He just wanted to help her.

-o-

Jay awoke feeling very achy and cold. How on earth had Rose and Tripp camped for so long? According to Tripp this was a fairly mild night! Jay unzipped his tent to check if the fire was still burning. It wasn't. Scowling, he made to zip the tent back up; he didn't have a fire type Pokémon so couldn't reignite the fire himself. He stopped dead. He was certain that he heard something other than the hooting of Noctowl. Straining his ears, his suspicions were confirmed by a soft weeping coming from Rose's tent. Jay sighed heavily; she clearly felt as though she couldn't talk about whatever it was, and had taken to crying alone at – he checked his watch – three in the morning.

Jay was not stupid. He assumed that she wished to be alone, and so decided that he would question her the following day.

-o-

Morty woke suddenly on Sunday morning due to his mobile phone vibrating loudly on his bedside table. Groaning upon seeing the name, he answered.

"'Lo Ma," he croaked, turning onto his side and snuggling under his duvet.

"Morty!" she said, sounding unnecessarily relieved, "How are you darling?"

"I'm fine…" he said, confused by her excessive concern "oh…I said I'd be over yesterday…" he mumbled, "sorry, I forgot."

"That's okay…will you be over today?"

Morty rolled his eyes. Every day since Tuesday his mother and father had been calling him incessantly.

"Probably not Ma, I've got a lot on," he lied.

His mother was silent on the end of the phone. Morty sighed.

"_Yes_, I've had more visions, _no_, they aren't affecting me badly anymore. I feel fine…okay?"

"Now Morty, you know I'm only worried about you."

"I know Ma, but I'm fine. I'll be over next week sometime, all right?"

"Okay darling, you take care now."

"You too, bye Ma."

He hung up. He was twenty-one for heaven's sake. He could really do without the molly-coddling. Glancing at the time he groaned.

"Who calls at seven on Sunday morning?" he grumbled as he punched his pillow into a more comfortable shape.

Less than ten seconds later there were four sharp raps at his front door. Morty sat bolt upright in bed. Who could that be? The only people that 'dropped in' were his parents, and he had just spoken to them on the phone…

His mouth very dry, and his stomach lurching from nerves and excitement, Morty bolted for the front door. He didn't know why she was here so soon but he didn't care. If ever he had needed –

"Eusine?" he said, his face a complete mask of shock.

"Morty!" his friend grinned, before laughing at his appearance, "I don't know what you've gotten into my friend, but I'll tell you, a visit from_ me_ doesn't warrant you being topless…"

Morty glanced down at his bare torso and blushed.

"Sorry, I-"

"Unlike you isn't it?" Eusine continued knowingly, one eyebrow raised, "I didn't think you'd be the type to answer the door half naked."

"I wasn't expecting it to be you!"

"Aha! So you _were_ expecting it to be someone that you_ wouldn't_ mind seeing you topless?"

Morty blushed. He had been caught out and Eusine knew it.

"C'mon Morty! I haven't seen you in over a year! Let me in, make me a drink, and tell me about this lovely girl of yours."

Morty opened his mouth but nothing came out. He did, however, blush harder.

"Why're you blushing like a beetroot?" Eusine asked, frowning slightly, "Is it bad? Oh dear God!" he exclaimed, "It's not _Miki_ is it?!" he asked in horror, "_Please _don't tell me she's finally worn you down?!"

Morty couldn't help but laugh at his friend's anguished face. If anyone disliked Miki more than Morty, it was definitely Eusine.

"Relax…it's not Miki," he grinned.

"Well thank the Lord!" Eusine said dramatically, flinging himself flamboyantly onto the leather sofa.

"What do you want to drink?" Morty called from the kitchen.

"Espresso."

"Espresso?" Morty repeated, bemused, "Eusine, I don't have espresso."

"Just a coffee then please," Eusine said, rolling his eyes.

"How come you're back?" Morty asked, handing Eusine his coffee, his torso now covered.

"Lost track of Suicune," he said, sounding thoroughly irritated.

"Did you manage to see it at all?"

"I _think_ I caught a glimpse of it in Kanto…but otherwise…no," he admitted, "no luck with Ho-Oh either I presume?"

"What do you reckon?" Morty laughed. He and Eusine had bonded in their youth due to their shared fascination with Ecruteak's Legendary Pokémon.

"Okay, okay…so no luck with the Pokémon…" he paused, "but luck with the ladies?"

"You're relentless," Morty muttered, sipping his tea.

"Well?"

Morty fixed him with a hard stare.

"Her name is Rose. She's from Sesame, she was here for a week, and now she's gone," he said bluntly.

"And yet you're obviously gooey-eyed enough to think she's going to turn up at your door unannounced?"

Morty scowled. Eusine was really too insightful for his own good.

"Let's just say I wouldn't have objected," he mumbled.

Eusine considered his friend's tone of voice and frowned.

"What's on your mind?" he asked.

Morty knew better than to lie; Eusine had known him very well for a very long time.

"A lot," he admitted, staring into the depths of his mug, "you got a minute?"

"My friend, I have eternity!" Eusine exclaimed, leaning back onto the sofa. Morty's lips twitched at his friend's predictable dramatics, "No, seriously – can I stay? My family have moved back to Celadon City."

"Of course you can!" Morty laughed loudly. He had really missed Eusine.

"Stop avoiding it Morty," Eusine said seriously.

"Right. Okay. Well," He looked Eusine in the eye, and decided to just say it. "I love her."

Eusine stared back at his friend.

"What?"

Morty began to flush a blotchy red.

"I love her," he mumbled.

"The girl you've known a week?" Eusine asked. He honestly wasn't trying to be patronising, he just wanted to make sure he hadn't missed something.

Morty groaned and fell back on the sofa, his hands over his face.

"You don't get it," he mumbled through his fingers.

"Well tell me!"

"I can't explain it," Morty said even more quietly, his hands still covering his face. There was silence for a short while.

"You really…love her?" Eusine asked, as though he'd never heard of such a thing.

Morty looked at him with agonised eyes and opened his mouth, not knowing how on earth to explain it. To his surprise, Eusine held up his hand.

"It's okay, I understand."

Morty raised his eyebrows in disbelief.

"Morty, I've known since I first moved here, when we were four or whatever…and I've never once seen you look like that," he said, half amused, half bewildered.

Morty smiled; he knew Eusine was his best friend for a reason.

"So…you miss her I guess?" he continued.

Morty nodded slowly.

"It's not even been a week since she left…but she's just…she's so…"

Eusine waited patiently.

"She's like the sun," he said softly.

Eusine couldn't help but burst out laughing. Morty looked irritated.

"No, no! Hear me out!" Eusine wheezed, "I believe you, I _do_!" he insisted when Morty crossed his arms and threw an unimpressed look his way, "it's just…well - I guess I've never known you to be so…serious about someone?"

"Well I never have been."

"I can tell," Eusine said smiling genuinely, "But that's not everything is it?" he asked, probing.

Morty sighed and glanced over at his friend.

"My clairvoyance is back," he said quietly, "all this past week I've been having visions."

Eusine stared back at him wide-eyed.

"You're not serious?"

"One hundred percent serious – the same vision I had for years."

"But…you lost it! You lost it once you lost your innocence…"

Morty rolled his eyes.

"Eusine, you _have _to stop referring to it as that! It sounds creepy as hell"

Eusine shrugged.

"Well, it's back anyway," Morty continued.

"Are you well?"

"I wasn't the first couple of days, but my body's gotten used to it again – I've stopped passing out and the dizziness has almost completely gone."

"And I'll bet your training's better now, right?"

"Definitely," Morty confirmed. The strengthened connection with his Pokémon was a true bonus of his 'gift'.

"So…not intending to sound ignorant here…but what's getting you down?"

Morty inclined his head to the side slightly as he considered his friend's question.

"You know, I'm not really sure," he said, "I do feel better having spoken about it all…"

"Does the clairvoyance scare you?" Eusine asked quietly.

"A little," Morty admitted, "more just wondering what it can _mean_ y'know? When it first happened, when I was four or five, all the sages nearly wet themselves with excitement, muttering amongst themselves like it really _meant_ something…not that I ever found out what they were talking about…"

"It must be scary, being the only one it happens to?"

Morty shrugged.

"It's not new to me anymore, so it's not really _scary_, just…just…unexpected."

"So it's not bothering you?"

"Not really."

"Hey!" Eusine said suddenly, "did you sleep with Rose?"

Morty narrowed his eyes.

"Why?"

"I'll take that as a yes," Eusine said, laughing, "I was only wondering if…y'know…'starting up' again reversed it…you lost your clairvoyance when you lost your inno- sorry, your _virginity_," Morty rolled his eyes but let Eusine continue, "maybe now you've had _relations_ again it's come back?"

Morty blushed horribly. Of all things, he and Eusine really did not discuss their sex lives.

"Eusine," he said in a strangled voice, "Rose isn't the first person I slept with after losing my virginity."

"Oh," Eusine said. Thinking about it, that would have meant that Morty had been celibate for over five years. Hmm.

"Can we stop talking about this?"

"Who've you slept with?" Eusine asked curiously.

Morty looked at him in horror.

"Really?!"

Eusine shrugged.

"Fine. There was the girl at Sam and Damien's – my first time. Then a year later I had that girlfriend for a couple of months…er…Lyra?"

"Was that the clingy one?"

"Yes," Morty said darkly, "and then when I was eighteen, just before I went travelling and became Gym Leader, there was another girl at Sam and Damien's…I'm not proud of it," he said, burning red.

Eusine shrugged again.

"I'm not judging you."

"Well…how about you?"

"Pfft. I'm not sure. Over twelve at least."

Morty blinked.

"You serious?"

"I may not be as pretty as you Morty…" he began, smirking.

"Oh shut up," Morty laughed, slapping Eusine around the back of the head.

"So…Rose," Eusine said, draining his coffee, "tell me more."

Eusine couldn't help but smile to himself as he saw Morty's whole face soften.

"She's beautiful," he whispered, "I mean, I thought that when I saw her on T.V, before I even met her."

"T.V?! What?!"

"Oh. Did you see that broadcast by Professor Willow in Sesame? On the Eevees?"

"Yes…wait! That's her?_ That's_ Rose?!"

Morty nodded happily. Eusine sat back on the sofa looking stunned.

"How old is she?" he asked curiously.

Morty's face flamed and Eusine raised his eyebrows in amusement.

"It sounds terrible," he mumbled.

"C'mon Morty, spill the beans," Eusine grinned.

"She's sixteen" Morty said very quickly, avoiding Eusine's eyes.

"Wow. That's…not old."

"Does it sound really terrible?"

"Well it depends on her…I suppose…does she act sixteen?"

Morty shook his head.

"I first met her on the ferry – I'd been visiting Callisto…I was talking to her all night …she's so clever, so mature, I assumed she was nineteen or twenty."

"She doesn't look that old…"

"She's very little," Morty smiled, "but even when she _is_ nineteen I don't suppose she'll be taller…you're making me feel terrible here," he laughed nervously.

"It's not _such_ a big age gap, I mean you were only twenty-one in August…when's she seventeen?"

"In a couple of weeks, third of November"

"So it's only four years really…if she were twenty-two and you were twenty-six nobody would think anything of it!"

"Thanks," Morty smiled genuinely, "I honestly forget her age when I'm with her…she's just Rose."

Eusine scrutinised his friend.

"Well bloody Nora. You really love her."

Morty laughed.

"I really do."

"And you miss her," this was not a question.

Morty nodded, staring at his hands.

"So go visit! Pretend you're seeing Callisto!"

"Callisto invites me once a year, if that," he laughed humourlessly, "she's a big fan of the telephone…"

"Well just go visit Rose then! Or will it freak her out?"

"No," he said softly, "she loves me."

Eusine just managed to hide his laugh. He wasn't laughing at his friend, just at his friend being so infatuated. It was a first - that was for sure.

"She's busy though, she's on some mission for Professor Willow."

"How long?"

"I don't think she even knows."

"So write to her?"

"That is the plan," Morty sighed, before standing up and grinning, "dear God that's enough from me, you want breakfast?"

-o-

Woodruff wasn't a particularly long walk from Tarragon, but even so, Tripp wasn't overly impressed.

"Why couldn't we get the train?" he whined again.

Rose rolled her eyes.

"Isn't this part of it?" she asked lightly, "seeing things? Meeting people…?"

Jay noticed her voice trailing off but said nothing.

Tripp shrugged.

"I guess you're right."

"Oh look!" Jay said, after about an hour of trekking the path, "'Woodruff Conservation Park'," he read from the sign.

Rose gasped.

"I'll bet there're really rare Pokémon in there…" she mused, her eyes regaining a little of their sparkle.

"I have six Pokémon already," Tripp sighed.

"Me too…" Rose said wistfully. There was really no point in them stopping off in the Park.

"Hey," Jay said, "it says here that these Pokémon aren't for catching anyway."

"Boring," Tripp grimaced.

Rose rolled her eyes at him.

"I would tell you off…but seeing as we're on a time limit as such, I suppose we couldn't really justify going in anyway…"

"Is that Dill Rook?" Jay asked, pointing to what looked like a very far off peak.

"Yeah, that's it," Tripp said, squinting in the direction Jay pointed.

Rose gave a nostalgic smile as she remembered the last time she climbed a mountain…she had been absolutely petrified. It was funny thinking about Tarragon Mountain now…the wistfulness had certainly gone, only to be replaced with a new, crippling, crushing guilt. She swallowed audibly. Feeling Jay's eyes upon her she tried to act casually.

"Either of you know the type of the next Gym?"

"Steel I think," Tripp grinned, "shouldn't be too bad, each of us having a fire type…"

"How do Gym battles work?" Jay asked curiously, "can I watch you guys?"

"Usually," Tripp said.

"Depends on the Gym Leader," Rose shrugged, "in Callisto's Gym nobody but the challenger could enter…"

Why did every effing thing remind her of him?

"Well I hope I can watch!" Jay said enthusiastically, "…if you don't mind obviously?"

Rose smiled.

"I wouldn't mind."

"Me neither!" Tripp grinned.

"I've only ever seen proper battles on T.V…" Jay said excitedly, "I would _love_ to see you guys battle…"

"Each other?" Rose asked in surprise.

Jay blinked.

"Well…no…"

Tripp's head snapped in her direction. Was she challenging him?

"Do you want to battle me?!" he asked, his eyes wide.

"Er, no. No offence Tripp," she said, patting his arm. He felt his stomach doing somersaults and winked at Jay before shrugging. He was happy either way. He wouldn't even mind _losing_ to her, he found himself thinking.

"So you guys each have five badges?" Jay asked, trying to add it up.

"Three more to go," Tripp added, his eyes widening in awe, "we're not far off Ro," he said, "although wouldn't you find challenging the Elite Four weird? Like, battling Cristine?"

Rose smiled slightly; it was a very strange prospect.

"Hey Ro," Tripp continued, "Did you hear about Lance?"

"No," she frowned, her curiosity kindled, "what?"

"You know he challenged Sesame's Champion? And that he was beaten?!"

"I had no idea…" Rose mused, "I wonder how our Champion won, I thought Dragons, especially well trained ones, were impossible to defeat?"

Tripp shrugged.

"That's not the best part though, turns out that our Champion is Lance and Clair's _uncle_!"

"Seriously? What's he doing in Sesame?"

"God knows," Tripp said happily. He really couldn't believe how well they were getting on.

-o-

"I knew we should have gotten the train," Tripp yawned as they pitched their tents in a thicket of trees for the second time in a row.

"It's bloody cold at night," Jay remarked.

"Is it?" Tripp asked in surprise, "I had to take off my socks and jumper last night!"

"You wear socks and a jumper to bed?!"

"Well, when I'm camping…yeah?"

Even Rose smiled curiously as she watched Jay blush.

"I've just been sleeping normally…" he said nervously.

"Which is…?" Tripp probed, a smile unfurling on his face.

"Naked," Jay mumbled, blushing a shocking pink.

Both Rose and Tripp howled with laughter.

"All right, all right," Jay said huffily, unable to hold in his own smile, "How was I supposed to know?!"

-o-

Jay deliberately kept himself awake for a couple of hours; he wanted to talk to Rose alone. Unzipping his tent he stepped carefully past Tripp's and over to hers.

"Rose?" he called softly.

"Y-yes?" he heard her whisper back, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine…can I talk to you?"

She was silent for a moment.

"Sure," she said, unzipping her tent.

"Can I come in?"

She shuffled to the side so he could sit down.

"Now Jay, I hope you're not trying to sleep your 'normal' way in here," she said, grinning.

She didn't fool him however.

"You've been crying," he said baldly.

She glanced at him before looking away.

"Hayfever," she mumbled unconvincingly.

"Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I wasn't aware that hayfever kept you up sobbing at three o'clock in the morning?"

Rose let out a breath very slowly and evenly before looking him straight in the eye.

"What were you doing awake at that time?" she asked.

"I was cold," he said defiantly. He was relieved to see her lips twitch, "now, are you going to tell me why _you_ were up?"

She looked him in the eye once again, unnerving him slightly with the intensity of her scrutiny.

"No, I'm not."

"Rose –"

"Not yet anyway," she said, her eyes screwed shut and her fingers at her temples.

"Don't you trust –?"

"Jay," she interrupted, "if it was a question of trust I would tell you right away. Okay?"

"Then what is it?"

Rose chewed on her bottom lip, wondering how best to phrase it.

"There's just some stuff…some stuff that's happened…recent events…and I-I'm finding it hard to order my thoughts, let alone my emotions…I just need some time."

"But are you all right?"

"Of course I'm all right," she smiled breezily.

"Rose…"

"Please Jay," she said, and he was shocked to see her eyes welling up with tears, "this is something I really need to figure out on my own, okay?"

Jay noted the desperation in her eyes and felt that he finally understood.

"Okay, I get you" he smiled, giving her a one-armed hug – they were rather cramped.

"Thank you," she smiled, "now bugger off, I'm tired," she grinned.

Jay grinned back, but he knew her better than that.

"Okay, okay, I'm going. Night Rose, and I'm always here, whenever you're ready…"

"I know," she whispered sadly, desperately trying to keep the catch out of her voice.

Once Jay was back in his tent he couldn't help but smile to himself. She was bound to be caught up in her emotion, and he would leave her for now. If she was trying to figure out her feelings for her best friend he didn't want to push her in the wrong direction. He couldn't wait to tell Tripp – this was really something to go on!

**AN: Uh oh, somebody's gotten the wrong end of the stick. And Morty's a little more interesting… (although I find him pretty 'interesting' anyway. Ha…sorry.)**

**I love Jay, he has his heart in the right place. I really hate matchmaking though – is that just me? Do you guys hate that? Hmm. Some food for thought.**

**Also, I imagine Eusine to be very camp, but not gay. Feel free to argue with me in your review (; there's going to be a Gym battle next chapter folks, so thumbs up for any of you who particularly enjoy those parts of the story!**

**Lots of love, A xx**


	26. Chapter 26

It wasn't until early the following afternoon that the trio finally arrived in Woodruff City, their fingers and toes numb from the ever decreasing temperature.

"I'm going to go and have a hot shower," Rose said when they reached the Pokémon Centre, her teeth chattering.

Jay and Tripp watched her go, before turning to one another.

"What is it?!" Tripp asked impatiently. Ever since Jay had given him a 'look' earlier that morning he had been dying to get him on his own and find out what it was all about.

"Well," he muttered, glancing over his shoulder just in case: there was no way he wanted Rose to overhear, "I was talking to Rose last night after you went to sleep."

Tripp couldn't help but frown.

"Why all the secrecy?"

Jay nodded, he had expected Tripp to be offended.

"_Because_, I had an inkling that her weird mood was to do with you!"

"With me?!" Tripp repeated, aghast, "but haven't we agreed that she's not mad at me?!"

"_Yes_," Jay continued impatiently, "but I reckon she's acting strangely because she's trying to figure out her feelings for you, and from what she said last night I'm positive I'm right," he beamed.

Tripp turned a flaming red and then an ashy grey-white. He had not expected anything of the sort. Could she like him? _Really_?

"But what did she say?" he asked, his voice strangely high.

Jay took one more precautionary glance around the Trainer's Lodge – Rose was nowhere in sight.

"She said that she had to figure out her thoughts…no, her emotions…no, wait, I don't know," Jay frowned, Rose had always confused him, "But anyway, she said she had some stuff to think about regarding _recent events _and that she needed to sort her head out."

A smile unfurled slowly on Tripp's face.

"So…does she like me?"

"As to that, I'm not entirely sure," Jay said, "but wait!" he said, upon noticing Tripp's face fall, "I think she might…but she's scared to, y'know? I mean, what with the ball and everything…"

Tripp nodded grimly. He had messed up big time there, that was a fact.

"So," Jay went on, "I imagine that she probably _does_ like you but she can't quite forget that night. I think you need to show her you're mature, and that you're not like that…I think the most important thing, though, is to let her come to the decision that she likes you _herself_…you get me?"

Tripp nodded happily. He couldn't believe it. He was, of course, mentally kicking himself for sleeping with Amy in the first place, but he would never _really_ have guessed Rose liked him! It was a fantasy, if he had any idea he would never have done it…

He thought back to the night in Tarragon Park when Eevee evolved into Umbreon. That had been the moment when he got a little scared…he realised that he might want it all with her, and it was enough to send him running to Amy in fear…

Tripp shook his head to clear it of these pointless thoughts. The past was concrete; he now knew what he _did_ want and he was going to focus on the future, on _getting_ it.

"I thought you two might have at least ordered some food," Rose said lightly, returning from the showers.

The boys merely gaped at her.

"What have you been doing?" she asked curiously, "gossiping like old women?"

They continued to gape at her in silence, their ears turning red. Rose raised her eyebrows coolly.

"God, if it was along those lines maybe I'd rather not know…" she smirked, going over to the counter to order three bowls of noodle soup.

Jay and Tripp spluttered incoherently when they finally realised what she had been insinuating.

-o-

"Covered in ice?" the Elder of Blackthorn City repeated quietly.

"Yes," Lance affirmed.

"Have you spoken to Fernando?" the old man asked, "if was of course he who sealed the mountain in the first place…"

Lance managed not to roll his eyes with difficulty.

"We asked him, Grandfather, but he didn't have any leads."

The Elder nodded slowly, seemingly lost in thought.

"Call your fathers here, please," he said suddenly, sounding more authoritative and more like his old self than he had in months. Lance and Clair glanced at one another, shocked but pleased at the old man's change in attitude.

When Rodolfo and Cornelio finally joined the three of them in Dragon's Den, the Elder addressed them all.

"It is necessary for me to go on a journey," he informed them. There was silence for a moment.

"A journey, father?"

"Yes, Cornelio. I will be gone for a number of weeks I imagine, hopefully no more than two or three."

"But father…you've been so frail…where are you to go?"

The Elder's hazel eyes pierced those of his son's. He had been frail, yes, but his strength had returned with his sense of purpose. This must be done, and he was the only one able to do it.

"I cannot tell you, Rodolfo," he said quietly, "but believe me when I say I am more than able to take the journey."

"But Grandfather –"

"Enough, Clair."

"Grandfather," Lance insisted, "where are you going? Why can't I go instead?"

The old Dragon Tamer smiled at his grandson.

"I appreciate your offer Lance, but there are times when age and wisdom prevail over youth and strength."

Lance nodded slowly. There was something different about his grandfather; his eyes, which of late had seemed so lifeless, were glinting, if not with excitement then with determination. His newly stooped posture had all but disappeared and he was standing tall as he did when…well, before Pascalia disappeared.

"Can't you at least tell us _where_ you're going, father?" Cornelio asked; his upturned, Blackthorn eyes were narrowed.

"I will tell you everything when I return," the old man said. Once again silence hung in the air. For the first time in months the Elder laughed heartily.

"I promise you I _will _return," he smiled, and the atmosphere in the room lightened considerably.

Rodolfo surveyed his father carefully.

"Has this anything to do with Pascalia?"

The atmosphere tensed once more.

"This has everything to do with Pascalia," the Elder said, continuing to smile, much to his family's surprise.

-o-

"I can't do this anymore," she croaked, her eyes wild with fear and distress, "I want to go _home_."

Hielo and Ledus merely glanced at her, but Chelsea continued to wail.

"She's mad! She's insane! I don't understand _why_ you two want to stay?!"

They glanced at one another again and shrugged. They were fairly happy with Pascalia. She gave them exciting work, and they knew that they would be in positions of power when she finally achieved her dream.

"Well I'm leaving. Now. I can't stand it anymore!"

"You can't leave," Hielo said quietly.

"You know what she'll do to you," Ledus added.

Chelsea sniffed.

"I don't believe it – Pokémon don't eat people, not even Dragons."

"That crystal she has is no ordinary jewel!" Ledus hissed, "It gives her complete power over Dragon Pokémon, don't you understand?!"

Chelsea shook her head defiantly.

"I don't – I _won't_ believe it!"

"When are you going to tell her?" Hielo asked sarcastically, he didn't believe she would really leave. Pascalia's ire was not worth provoking – especially recently.

"Tell me what?" came a cold, clear voice from the cave entrance. Hielo and Ledus started. They did not know she was so near.

The blood drained from Chelsea's face, but she faced Pascalia determinedly.

"I've had enough," she said, her voice shaking slightly, "I'm going. I'm not going to tell anyone anything, I just want to leave."

"Okay," Pascalia said quietly, smiling slightly.

"Okay?" Chelsea repeated uncertainly.

"You can leave, and you don't have to worry about keeping quiet," she continued to smile.

Chelsea smiled back uncertainly. She did not see the warning in Hielo and Ledus's eyes.

"Dragonair will ensure you keep your silence," Pascalia whispered sibilantly, her yellow eyes glowing.

Chelsea's eyes widened slightly; the Dragon Pokémon outside the cave began to growl gutturally. Chelsea made to back further into the cave but Pascalia, with joyous strength, forced her outside.

"_Mandicaru_, Dragonair," she snarled.

Hielo and Ledus winced as Chelsea screamed. The screams did not last long. They were muffled, before being finally silenced. The only sounds that rent the wintery air were the tearing of flesh and grinding of bones…along with Pascalia's laughter.

She entered the cave once again, her beautiful face spattered with flecks of blood.

"She was becoming tiresome," she shrugged to the silent men as she settled herself onto the stone floor, her unusually sharp teeth bared in a grin.

-o-

"Shall we go to the Gym then?" Rose asked when they finished lunch.

"Now?!" Tripp asked.

"Why not?" she shrugged.

Tripp gaped at her. He could think of many reasons 'why not'; Rose was usually the one who wanted to soak up the city atmosphere, to experience everything, to train her Pokémon as much as possible…she only tended to be impulsive when she was depressed. He glanced sideways at her. She looked as good as she usually did…maybe her eyes weren't quite as sparkly as usual…but she seemed herself otherwise.

"Well, we could give it a go?" he said uncertainly.

-o-

Woodruff City Gym had the appearance of a high-tech war bunker. It stood only at about ten feet tall and was comprised of reinforced, blindingly polished steel. Jay was looking rather confused.

"Is this the Gym?" he asked, looking bewildered.

"I guess so," Tripp shrugged.

"But…it looks nothing like the Annatto City Gym!" Jay said, sounding almost scandalised.

Rose couldn't help but laugh at him.

"All Gyms look different," she said as she examined the building, "Gym Leaders like to leave their mark."

She smiled sadly to herself as she thought of Morty's Gym: the outside mimicked the ancient grandeur of the Tin Tower and the inside, much like his cousin Callisto's, smelt strongly of burning incense – to ward away evil spirits he had told her…

"Let's go," Rose said, stiffening her spine and entering the bunker. Now was not the time to dwell on her mistakes.

Inside the Gym door was a tunnel, again comprised of steel. The three teenagers followed the path, which led deeper and deeper under the ground before they finally emerged in an underground chamber. Their footsteps echoed strangely on the, once again, steel floor, and reverberated off the steel walls which, unlike the unimpressive outside, stood at about thirty feet tall.

"Good afternoon," a young woman grinned at the three of them, "my name is Dara. My name's origins mean 'strong', much like my preferred type of Pokémon…" her grin intensified, "who's challenging me today?" she asked, standing forward and cracking her knuckles. Dara was tall and her hair was a dark olive green, held back from her face in a thick plait. Her pale blue eyes swept the three teenagers.

"I will?" Tripp said with a questioning look at Rose. She nodded, she did not mind going second.

"Are you two staying?" Dara enquired of Rose and Jay.

"I wish to challenge you next," Rose said, her chin held high.

Dara could not resist smirking at Rose – she was ever so small in stature, surely she wouldn't be up to much. Now, the boy, he looked tough. Dara grinned once again.

"We'll each use two Pokémon – understood?"

Tripp nodded and fingered his Pokéball belt, waiting for Dara to make the first decision. She noticed his hesitance and smirked once again.

"Let's go Lairon!"

"I choose Jolteon!"

Rose gaped at his choice – why on earth did he choose an electric type against a dual steel and rock type?!

"Use Iron Tail!"

Tripp's Pokémon cringed horribly when the attack hit it, but returned to the battle with determination.

"Use Thunderbolt!" Tripp ordered.

Jolteon was well trained, Rose could see that, but the electric type attack barely touched Lairon, who seemed to merely shake it off.

"Iron Head Lairon!" Dara shouted, smiling in satisfaction as Jolteon fell heavily to the ground.

"Come on Jolteon!" Tripp called desperately, "Use Quick Attack!"

Jolteon managed to right itself in time to dodge a second Iron Head attack, but in its exhaustion, its Quick Attack missed by a long shot.

"Finish it Lairon! Use Rock Slide!"

Tripp let out a low groan as Jolteon fell heavily to the floor and made no sign of getting up.

From the side lines, Jay was watching the battle open-mouthed, and Rose was biting the insides of her cheeks in an effort not to call out advice – it was against the rules in official Gym matches. Still, she was going to make sure he learnt his type advantages and disadvantages when this battle was over…

"Go Houndoom!"

Rose sighed in relief, although she thought that Golduck may have been a better choice, Lairon being partly rock type.

"Rock Slide Lairon!"

Houndoom, being a higher level, was slightly faster than Jolteon and managed to easily dodge the attack.

"Use Flamethrower!"

Lairon was hit square in the face and reeled badly from the force of the attack.

"Use Iron Tail!"

Houndoom attempted to dodge again but wasn't quite fast enough this time. That being said, it was only his back end that was clipped by Lairon's attack.

"Fire Spin now!" Tripp shouted.

His plan was working; Lairon was trapped and was beginning to tire from battling the two Pokémon.

"Finish it! Flamethrower!"

Tripp, Rose and Jay all breathed a sigh of relief as the seemingly unshakeable Lairon hit the steel floor with a rumbling shudder.

"We're only just getting started," Dara smirked, enlarging her second Pokéball, "let's see how you can cope with Steelix!"

Tripp gaped as the ginormous metallic snake materialised. Houndoom began to growl and Tripp took heart from the sound. He wasn't going to let himself be put off by size!

"Bind it Steelix!"

"Dodge Houndoom!" Tripp ordered as Houndoom bounded over the massive, tightening coils of his opponent, "Use Fire Fang!"

The Steelix screeched as Houndoom clamped its burning jaws over the end of its tail. Dara snarled.

"Use Iron Tail!"

Houndoom yelped as the attack caught it right across the stomach.

"Now Steelix! Gyro Ball!"

Rose couldn't help but watch as the powerful attack hit Houndoom face on. Surprisingly, despite the formidable appearance of the attack, Houndoom did not seem to be badly damaged. Rose nodded slowly, impressed.

"Why didn't that work?!" Jay asked her, his eyes wide at the spectacle before him.

"Gyro Ball is very effective if your opponent is faster than you," she explained in a whisper, "and Houndoom is a lot faster than Steelix…Tripp must have been training Houndoom a lot recently for that to have so little effect…"

Jay nodded slowly and turned to face the battle one more.

Houndoom was frantically dodging Steelix's incessant Iron Tail attacks. The dog Pokémon was tiring fast, but so was Steelix.

"Use Fire Fang again!"

Once more Houndoom clamped his jaws around Steelix's tail.

"Hyper Beam Steelix!" Dara all but screamed, her eyes wide in desperation.

Rose gasped - it was now or never. She thanked every deity she knew of when Tripp took advantage of Steelix's power gathering.

"Flamethrower! Now!"

Steelix was hit full in the face by the powerful flame. It gave a piercing, grating screech before it began to sway slowly from side to side.

"Get back Houndoom!" Tripp yelled, not a moment too soon. Seconds later, where Houndoom had been, Steelix crashed to the floor, unmoving.

Surprising all of them, Dara giggled.

"Brilliant," she grinned, before laughing at the blatant relief on Tripp's face, "were you worried about my reaction?" she asked, one dark eyebrow raised.

"I wasn't too sure," Tripp laughed, scratching the back of his neck nervously.

"Well, for a start it's against the rules to sulk," she smirked, "and after a battle like that I wouldn't want to," for the first time Dara smiled genuinely as she pulled a jagged badge from her pocket, "here - the Rust Badge - great work. You really deserve it. For a minute there I really thought I was going to win…what great fun," she beamed.

Tripp's face was like a beacon, so pleased and embarrassed was he. Dara made her way to the side of the Gym where in a, steel, cabinet she kept her potions.

"You next then girly?" Dara asked, looking towards Rose whose brown eyes narrowed.

"Yes," she said stiffly.

Dara laughed loudly at her.

"Nervous?"

"No," Rose answered truthfully.

"Well you should be," Dara said silkily, looking down at Rose in what could only be considered a patronising manner, "you don't look like you're up to much."

From the back of the Gym, Jay and Tripp glanced at one another. Rose did not like being patronised, not one little bit. Dara's smile widened as she took in the fury in the younger girl's face. She knew it wasn't a particularly decent tactic, but there was nothing in the rule book about not intimidating your opponent. Besides, she smiled to herself, it gave her a thrill.

Rose could feel the blood roaring through her ears. Her breath was coming quickly and a curious adrenaline was coursing through her limbs. Dara frowned slightly – why wasn't she retaliating? That was part of the fun! Why, she'd never intimidated someone so much that they hadn't even been able to make _one_ comeback!

"Come on Lairon," she said, almost lazily.

"Let's go Seadra," Rose said quietly, her eyes snapping.

"Rock Slide!" Dara called, ready to start warming up. She blinked and missed it. That girl hadn't even ordered it, but her Seadra had completely dodged Lairon's attack. Dara frowned slightly. Before she had time to formulate her next plan, the girl had spoken, her quiet voice magnified in the enclosed, metal room.

"Water Pulse Seadra, then use Bubblebeam."

Dara could only gape as Lairon was hit not once, but twice by the Seadra who, after its first attack, had sped around in a semi-circle in order to avoid any potential retaliation from Lairon. Lairon was unable to stand the double water assault and fainted, just like that. The Gym seemed to echo with silence – who ever knew it could be so loud?

Dara soundlessly returned Lairon to its Pokéball. This was her own fault, she thought angrily, she should never underestimate her opponents. She wasn't about to lose however, she would show this girl, this girl who had _dared_ humiliate her.

"Go Steelix!" she snarled, "Use Iron Tail!"

Once again Seadra managed to dodge the attack with no instruction from his trainer – how could they work like that? Dara snarled as Rose's mouth curled into the first smile she had seen.

"Bubblebeam, now!"

Steelix closed its eyes in pain at the relentless stream of bubbles.

"Gyro Ball!" Dara all but screamed, horrified at the fact neither one of her Pokémon had yet managed to make a mark. Once again, unbelievably, Seadra dodged.

"Use Brine!" Rose called, her smile intensifying. That would teach Dara not to patronise her.

"Hyper Beam!" Dara shouted desperately.

Rose, like Tripp before her, merely took advantage of Steelix's motionlessness.

"Hydro Pump, now."

The incredible strength of the water jet sent Steelix crashing into the steel wall of the underground bunker before, to the utter astonishment of all except Rose, it fainted abruptly.

The left over water from the Hydro Pump poured steadily off Steelix's still body and dripped with an ominous _plink_ onto the steel floor. Rose walked over to Dara, her face expressionless, and held out her hand. Dara rummaged in her pocket and handed Rose the Rust Badge, her eyes never once leaving the younger girl's.

"Thank you," Rose finally spoke, smiling, "good battle."

She turned and walked towards the door, picking up her backpack on the way. Tripp and Jay followed her, both at a total loss for words.

-o-

"Rose, that was mental!" Tripp said as soon as they stepped out onto the street.

Rose didn't answer but kept walking – where she was going, she wasn't sure.

"Rose!" he repeated, grabbing her arm. She spun to face him.

"What?" she snapped. He let go of her arm when he saw the fury in her eyes. She felt guilty then – she wasn't mad at them after all.

"Was that not normal?" Jay asked quietly.

"That was incredible!" Tripp insisted, his bright blue eyes wide. Rose noted, with surprise, that for the first time ever he didn't appear jealous that she'd outshone him.

"Thank you," she smiled, a little shyly. She wasn't used to this treatment from him.

"You must have done a load of training in Johto," Tripp said seriously.

Rose started to turn pink, but could not bring herself to answer, which did not go unnoticed by Jay.

"Well did you?" Jay asked, peering at her through curious grey eyes.

"N-no, not really," she stammered.

"Well I trained quite a lot with Candice," Tripp said, his eyes never leaving Rose, "and you won that _way_ easier than I did – Seadra wasn't even hit once! What _did_ you get up to in Johto?"

"You know my Seadra has an unusually high speed stat, and the fact that he's water type probably helped – if you'd have used Golduck I think you would have found the battle just as easy. Plus, she made me furious, maybe I battle better when I'm riled?" she added truthfully.

Tripp pondered this; maybe he should have used Golduck…

Ever insightful, Jay realised that Rose had once again wiggled out of telling them what she had been up to in Johto. If he was counting correctly, she had deliberately avoided telling them three times now. He frowned slightly – was he reading into it too much?

"So what's our plan now?" Tripp asked, "I suppose if we want to get on with it we haven't really any reason to stay in Woodruff…"

"It'll take us about two days to talk to the next town," Jay said squinting at the map, "Epazote it's called."

"Is there a Gym there?" Rose asked.

"I don't think so," Tripp frowned, also peering down at the map.

"Well it's going to get dark soon," Rose said, glancing at the sky: in mid-October Sesame tended to get very dark very quickly, "there's no point in trying to navigate the roads in the pitch black and cold…shall we get dinner, camp here for a night and get going in the morning?"

-o-

Jay felt rather proud of Tripp as the three of them sat in the Trainer's Lodge eating their fried rice and dumplings. He was behaving very politely towards Rose, and yet naturally so. Nobody would have guessed that they were at loggerheads little less than two weeks ago. Jay was also confident that Tripp's improved behaviour was helping Rose come to her decision a lot more easily. _It was about time they became a couple_…he mused as he watched the pair of them laughing together. He felt something vibrating against his leg and pulled his mobile phone out of his pocket. He smiled when he saw that it was Bianca and excused himself.

"Hey, how are you?" he asked, wincing slightly as the cold night air hit his face.

"I'm good," she replied, "had a nightmare of a day in the café, but it's all over and so I'm having a nice hot bath."

"Now?" Jay asked, feeling himself turning red.

"Yes, now," she laughed, "you're such a prude."

Jay felt himself blush harder.

"I am not a prude," he said huffily, "blame yourself for planting such visual images in my head…"

Bianca laughed more loudly this time but dropped the subject.

"So how are things going?" she asked.

"Actually surprisingly well," Jay said quietly, "you've never seen Rose and Tripp like it! Honestly! I mean, I told you about what she said didn't I?"

"About getting her emotions straight?" Bianca asked – she sounded wary for some reason, Jay thought.

"Yeah! Well –"

"Look Jay," she began, he could hear the water sloshing around her and envisaged her sitting up straighter in the bath, "I know you and Tripp are both set on him fixing things up with Rose -"

"Well of course we are!" he interrupted, "he –"

"I just want to say this, okay?" Bianca said, talking over him once again, "Don't assume you know what Rose is thinking…I find her forgiving Tripp to be an odd sign rather than a good one if I'm honest…"

"You're just annoyed because you thought she was still going to be mad and she's not," Jay said smugly.

"Come on Jay!" Bianca said in exasperation, "you know Rose! Do you honestly think she would forgive him that easily? Or do you think there's a possibility that there's something bigger on her mind?"

"Of course there isn't," Jay said, bemused.

"And you believe this is about Tripp because she said she needed to sort her head out?"

"_Yes_."

"But Jay," Bianca continued, "you know all _about _her and Tripp, if it was anything to do with him wouldn't she have just told you outright? She probably would have appreciated your advice!"

Jay was stumped on his point.

"I'm not saying you should harass her…I'm sure she'll tell you when she's ready, just…just don't assume you already know…I doubt that you _do_ to be honest and this could be a _very_ messy way of someone getting hurt if you're wrong."

-o-

Jay couldn't help but smile at Rose and Tripp's conversation as they sat outside the campfire that night.

"Nope," Rose said, laughing as she sat up on her knees, "you have to learn, and you do too Jay! Sit down, both of you."

Humouring her, Jay and Tripp took their places around the fire.

"Now," Rose said, unable to prevent her lips from twitching, "who can tell me the weaknesses of water type Pokémon…Tripp?"

Tripp rolled his eyes but played along.

"Electric and Grass."

"Very good," she nodded in mock seriousness, "Now Jay, if you could please give me the types that fire types are super effective against?"

"Er…bug and grass?" he suggested hopefully.

"Two more!" Rose sang cheerily.

"Um…steel?"

He beamed when Rose nodded.

"And?" she probed.

"Ice!" Tripp piped up.

"Excellent!" Rose said pompously before laughing; she couldn't keep up the act, "but seriously, you guys, especially you Tripp, need to learn your advantages and disadvantages by heart…it'll make your decisions in battle not only easier but more effective."

Tripp nodded slowly – she did have a point. Types had always been his weak point.

Although Jay had taken Bianca's words into account, he just couldn't seem to shake his gut feeling that he was right. Besides, in the last two days Rose had seemed a lot better, and she had been talking and laughing with Tripp more and more. This solidified Jay's theory in his own mind; Rose was ever closer to making her decision and, naturally, she was feeling a lot happier for it. As long as Tripp kept up his good behaviour, Jay was ready to bet that they wold be together long before they reached Dill Rook. He smiled to himself - he would _never _have made such a seemingly rash bet before Rose returned from Johto…

This train of thought stumped him slightly, however. He was pretty sure he knew Rose very well, and he had just thought it himself, there was no denying it…before Rose returned he thought it would take at least a few weeks to get her _talking_ to Tripp again…so why was she doing so, and so soon? And with such _familiarity_? He uneasily recalled her apparent reluctance to discuss Johto with them and decided that he would try to get it out of her. With any luck it would turn out that nothing had happened there and that she simply had just really missed her best friend…Jay frowned to himself. That didn't sound like Rose at all, and he knew it.

-o-

Jay awoke very early the following morning. He felt refreshed though, and decided that he would start breakfast and save Rose from doing it for once.

After he dressed, he clambered out of his tent but stopped short upon hearing another tent being unzipped. Rose, who was wiping her eyes, crawled out of her tent and jumped upon seeing her friend.

"Jay!" she exclaimed; he could hear the surprise and nervousness in her voice.

"Good morning Rose," he said knowingly, not breaking eye contact.

"Y-you're up early!" she said, desperately trying to sound cheerful.

"And you've been crying again."

He recoiled slightly from the severity of her scowl.

"Leave it out Jay," she said, her quiet voice dangerous.

Jay nodded and silently helped her prepare the breakfast. After a few more minutes of silence, however, Jay decided to try again.

"Come on Rose, please tell me what's up…I only want to help you?"

"I'm not going to tell you Jay! Okay? For God's sake can't you just leave me alone?!"

Tripp popped his head out of his tent, his mouth wide open in shock. He hadn't actually heard the conversation, but Rose's tone of voice was enough to arouse his curiosity – he had never known her to be mad with Jay.

"You guys…okay?"

Rose ignored him and continued chopping up the apples and bananas.

"Fine," Jay smiled, rolling his eyes at Tripp. He would have to pass this off as her being hormonal. He felt bad even thinking it, but he couldn't let Tripp know that Rose had something on her mind, or he'd never let it go. Luckily Tripp interpreted the eye roll as Jay hoped he would, and the three of them ate their breakfast in a slightly uncomfortable silence.

-o-

Rose did not really speak to either of them as they made their long, cold walk towards Epazote town. She was furious with herself for being caught. _Why did Jay decide to get up so early?_ she groaned inwardly. She had been managing quite well; all bloody day she made a Herculean effort to appear her normal self, was it too much to ask that she could finally give in to her twisting stomach and bleeding heart when she was alone? Apparently it was. Now Jay was going to be like a dog with a bone – she needed to come up with a plausible cover story…and fast.

They decided to stop a little way off the road to eat their sandwiches. Tripp was very grateful that they had brought hot drinks in flasks – he felt as though his fingers were about to fall off. He smiled ruefully to himself as he realised he had already forgotten the bitingly cold weather of Snowpoint City. In all honesty, this cold was nothing in comparison.

"Crisps, Rose?" Tripp asked, offering her a packet. She took them from him with a small smile but did not speak.

"So, how do you guys normally Pokémon train?" Jay asked, opening his own crisp packet. Rose remained silent as Tripp filled Jay in on their tactics. She realised that she was probably being rude but could not bring herself to join in – especially with Jay. She stood and made her way further off the road. The boys glanced up at her but said nothing, they knew better than to question her when she was in this mood.

She continued to walk, and even in her current state she was able to marvel at the landscape of Central Sesame, so different to the West where she had spent most of her life. It was a lot more rugged looking; the ground rolled and sloped in steep hills covered in dark, coniferous trees, unlike the flat, deciduous grasslands of the West. She gazed with wonder out at the almost mountainous landscape, content for once not to be being scrutinised by curious eyes. Something caught her eye, however, when she was staring out at the land before her. At first it had been a black speck, but now it was growing slowly larger and was finally taking shape. Rose realised that it was a bird Pokémon and kept watching, curious as to which exact Pokémon it might be. It looked rather large, and it appeared to be flying straight towards her. She jumped aside and a large Swellow settled itself on the ground next to her. She had never seen one quite like it, for it was wearing a green jacket with 'Air Mail' stamped across it in yellow letters, and in its beak was a letter which it dropped at Rose's feet.

"Is this for me?" she asked in awe, bending to pick up the letter.

The Swellow gave a loud "Caw!" before taking flight once more and leaving Rose alone once again.

Rose looked down at the letter curiously. Her mouth turned as dry as if someone had poured salt into it when she noted that the stamp was from Johto. With shaking fingers, she slit the letter open.

_Dear Rose,_

_I know this is probably a lot sooner than you were expecting…to be honest it's sooner than I intended writing to you! But, in all seriousness, I miss talking to you and, even though I know you're busy, there's no harm in having a pen-pal…right?_

_Not much has happened here since you've left (except that I've become a miserable git as my friend, Eusine, is only too happy to mention, oh I don't know, about eight times a day?)_

_I told you about Eusine, didn't I? Well, he's come back now after over a year and he's crashing with me (his parents have moved to Celadon City in Kanto), so although I'm not lonely necessarily I do wish you were still here._

_I don't really have much new to tell you, so I suppose I'll leave this letter here. I'd love to hear back from you, obviously, if you aren't too busy. I hope you're doing okay, or as okay as you can be._

_Love, Morty_

Love, Morty. Rose sank to her knees, the letter still clutched in her hand, and physically shook with both her grief and the effort of keeping her weeping silent.

-o-

"Is she okay d'you reckon?" Jay asked nervously, glancing into the trees where Rose had disappeared almost fifteen minutes ago.

Tripp shrugged.

"When she's all pissy I think it's best to let her get on with it…if I know Rose she's sat on the other side of those trees having a temper tantrum or something," he laughed carelessly.

Jay nodded but kept quiet. He couldn't tell Tripp about why he was really worried.

To Jay's relief, Rose emerged from the trees only a few minutes later. She looked slightly paler than usual, but otherwise seemed fine.

"Let's go," she said, picking up her rucksack and stuffing something into it.

Tripp glanced at Jay in an 'I told you so' sort of manner, before they followed suit and also picked up their bags. Rose was, if possible, even less talkative for the remainder of the journey.

At about eight o'clock that evening they came upon a small but homey looking bed and breakfast for Pokémon trainers on the road.

"Only two rooms left tonight!" the plump owner told them, wiping her floury hands on her flowery apron, "so you two," she pointed at Tripp and Jay, "will have to share."

"We only wanted to get some food," Tripp said, smiling, "we brought tents!"

The plump woman surveyed them through narrowed eyes as though she did not trust anyone who slept in such a thing. Nevertheless she allowed them into her kitchen and supplied them with thick, homemade, vegetable soup and warm, crusty bread for a very reasonable fee.

Mumbling goodnight to the boys, Rose dove gratefully into her tent. By releasing Espeon from her Pokéball, Rose was once again able to read her letter from the light emanating from the red jewel upon her Pokémon's forehead. She could feel her tears dripping down her nose but made no attempt to stop them. _Love Morty_.

She wouldn't have thought it possible that she could feel worse than she already did but, as was becoming more frequent, her emotions proved her wrong. She lay awake for what felt like the entirety of the night, wondering how on earth she could possibly reply to his letter. By six in the morning she still had no brilliant ideas and so just decided to leave her reply…for now. Rose sighed to herself as she planned her next tactic; she was going to have to revert to the old acting-like-she-was-fine game. She didn't suppose that Jay would buy it, but she didn't have much choice, as long as he didn't see her slip up again…Rose deliberately stopped herself thinking along these lines. She couldn't help but panic when she thought about exactly how long she might be required to act for.

When the dawn finally broke, Rose exited her tent, making sure she was dry-eyed. She needn't have bothered; Jay and Tripp were still fast asleep. Nevertheless she smiled grimly to herself – it was good practise for getting into character if nothing else. In a perfect contrast to the previous day, Rose was the heart and soul of their small group as they continued their journey towards Epazote Town. She laughed at all of their jokes and cracked many of her own; she teased them, she hit them when they teased her back, and she made sure to smile constantly. Despite being exhausting, her efforts paid off. Even Jay was half convinced that all her tears were merely 'lady problems' and, considering how flirty and playful she had been with he and Tripp, he was back to believing that her feelings for her 'best friend' were the root of her issues once more.

Although there was next to nothing for Rose and Tripp to do in Epazote Town, Jay's experiment had finally begun. In order to properly appreciate the energy levels and qualities of the rocks and water around Dill Rook, Professor Willow requested that Jay take measurements from around other towns and cities with which to compare them.

They deliberately pitched their tents just outside of the town, next to a large, marshy pond so that Jay could begin to take his first measurements.

"I'll go and grab some stuff for dinner, okay?" Rose said to the boys, grabbing her backpack.

"Want me to come?" Tripp asked, smiling and making to get up.

"No, it's fine," Rose said rather quickly, "you help Jay, he might need help with the equipment and you'll be better at that sort of stuff," she grinned quickly before making her solitary way down the gravel path and into the town.

Tripp turned to Jay.

"What the hell? She's way better than me at all this science crap."

"Huh?" Jay asked, from where he was setting up one of his devices. He clearly wasn't listening. Tripp shrugged, Rose probably just thought she was doing him a favour.

-o-

Rose rubbed her cold hands together as she entered the small, local supermarket. She grabbed a loaf of bread, some cheese, a bag of apples, and some cold chicken and took it up to the counter.

The shop assistant began to pack it for her when Rose noticed the array of spirits behind the counter.

"How much for the…er…rum?" she asked, squinting at the label.

He shop assistant glanced at her before answering. What did he care how old she was? All the kids from the town bought alcohol from here.

"Thirteen Pokéloans."

"I'll take that too," Rose nodded.

The shop assistant raised his eyebrows but said nothing as Rose slipped the rum into her rucksack, and not into the carrier bag with the rest of the food.

Rose happily made her way down the stone path back to their camp; she would definitely sleep tonight.

**AN: Now I don't condone getting drunk to drown your sorrows, but hey, this is Rose and she's far from perfect. And I wonder where the Elder of Blackthorn City is going? Any ideas? (:**

**I'd love to hear what you reckon as always (:**

**Love A xx**


	27. Chapter 27

"Did you send it?" Eusine asked excitedly.

Morty rolled his eyes at his friend, both at his nosiness and his appearance.

"Yes I sent it…Eusine, what are you doing?"

Eusine was lounging on the sofa in his t-shirt and underpants, eating a whole bag of mini croissants and watching the television.

"Eating breakfast?"

"At midday?"

"Well Morty, we don't _all_ get up at sunrise to go for a run."

"Aren't you going to look for a job?"

"Why? I can afford to pay you rent already!"

It was true, Eusine's family were very wealthy and they sent him a handsome living allowance every month which he insisted on giving Morty at least half of for putting him up.

"This isn't about money, and I wish you'd stop putting your money in my bank account…" Morty mumbled, turning red.

"I'm not going to live off you for free!"

"You don't exactly cost me much," Morty laughed, "and besides, you're my friend and…" he tailed off suddenly and Eusine's face darkened knowingly. Morty held his hand up to his face for a few moments before he lowered it, his violet eyes slightly dazed.

"Vision?"

"Yup."

"You okay?"

"M'fine."

Eusine nodded slowly. Morty didn't particularly like talking about his clairvoyance, understandably, and so Eusine merely tried to change the subject.

"So what did you end up putting in the letter?"

"Not much," Morty said truthfully, sitting down next to his friend.

"Did you tell her about your visions?"

Morty shook his head.

"How the hell do you phrase that in a letter? 'Oh yeah, I meant to tell you, I used see visions of light and darkness that used to knock me out as a child, and now they've returned and I have no idea why'…can you really word that well?!"

"I see your point…" Eusine mused, "did you say anything mushy?" he asked slyly, laughing as his friend turned pink.

"No," Morty sighed, "again, it sounds stupid on paper," he began to chew his lower lip.

"Well, if you're not comfortable writing letters to her what _are_ you going to do?"

Morty shrugged before exhaling heavily.

"I have no idea…preferably I'd go and see her…"

"Well why not?" Eusine asked, handing him a mini croissant which he refused.

"I don't know," Morty mumbled, "let's just see what her reply says."

He couldn't shake the gnawing in the pit of his stomach, telling him that something was very wrong. He didn't know how he knew, but he felt that Rose was unhappy, very unhappy, and it killed him not to be able to help her.

-o-

Rose awoke the following morning feeling queasy and slightly dizzy, but at least she had slept. She glanced over at the rum bottle which was still more than two-thirds full and grimaced. She crawled out of her sleeping bag and hid the bottle in her rucksack before pulling out her jeans and jumper and getting dressed.

"All right Rose?" Tripp asked. He and Jay were already up and dressed and were toasting pieces of bread on the open fire.

"Fine," she frowned, slightly confused as to why they were up already, "what time is it?"

"Gone nine," Jay said, peering at her curiously.

"Really?" she asked, stunned, she couldn't remember the last time she had slept in so late…not on her own anyway. Despite her heartbreak she still couldn't help but blush when she remembered those long nights and lazy mornings she had spent with Morty…

"Don't be embarrassed!" Tripp said cheerfully, mistaking her red face for shame, "this is the first time you've ever been up after us!"

Rose smiled at him, grateful that he had gotten her out of a potentially humiliating explanation, and Tripp beamed at Jay in response.

"So," Rose said, trying to move the attention away from her, "what can we do to help, Jay?"

Jay explained the finer points of the experiment to Rose and Tripp as they munched their toast.

"So, in terms of tools: for rocks I've been given a Magnetic Susceptibility Meter."

"What does that do?" Tripp asked.

"Well, as you two already know, the Professor believes that it's the magnetic quality of evolutionary stones that's fundamental in the evolution process itself."

Rose and Tripp nodded.

"Well what he's expecting, is that the rocks around Dill Rook are going to have a more highly concentrated level of magnetism than those around here or in Borage City for example, so, once I've made all my notes it should hopefully be obvious that it's either the rocks or the water that are making the Garchomp act oddly."

"So what have you got to test the water?" Rose asked.

"Just a standard PH tester," Jay said happily, pulling it out of his bag.

"Why PH?" Tripp asked.

"Well - and the Professor says that this is mainly guesswork on his part - but he thinks it might be possible for different PH levels to effect different types of Pokémon's evolutions."

Rose and Tripp waited for him to elaborate.

"Upon testing Fire and Water Stones for example, Fire Stones tend to have a lower PH than Water Stones, making them more acidic than alkaline."

"So what are you testing for?"

"Well apparently most water bodies in Sesame tend to be more alkaline, which is why our region naturally has a lot of water type Pokémon – this is a good natural environment for them."

"So which side of the PH scale are Dragons on?" Rose asked in genuine interest.

"Professor Willow isn't sure," Jay grinned, "this is part of what we're trying to discover too. Because it's only those from Blackthorn City in Johto who have ever really been able to train Dragons, not much is known about their development."

Tripp frowned as he thought about this.

"How do the Dragon Tamers even train them anymore? I don't think they speak that old language any more, do they?"

Rose and Jay shrugged.

"I'm not sure," Jay said, "they have a pretty ancient bloodline though, maybe it just comes naturally to them now?"

"How can it though?" Rose asked, "how can you be genetically inclined to have power over one type of Pokémon? Surely if there _is_ something in their blood it means they'd be better at training every type?"

"Well, the Sesame Champion beat Lance using only fire type and he's technically a Dragon Tamer by blood…maybe you're right Rose?"

Rose pondered her theory for a moment, but gave up when she realised she really didn't know enough about the subject.

"Shall we get testing?" she asked, kneeling on the ground beside the marshy pond.

Jay nodded excitedly and began to take the PH levels of the water.

"Professor Willow wants me to take three readings a day, morning, noon and night, just to see if there's any pattern he can discern."

"Cool," Tripp said, sounding impressed.

"Hey, hold this a sec will you?" Jay asked, handing Tripp the PH reader and taking his ringing mobile phone from out of his pocket, "Hello?" he answered, "Professor!...mhmm…really?…okay?…okay…mhmm…sure," he hung up, "that was the Professor," he told them unnecessarily.

"What did he want?" Rose asked impatiently.

"Well two things really. Firstly we're in much less of a hurry now because the Garchomp have completely calmed down apparently."

"Then why do you have to examine the area at all?" Tripp asked.

"I guess it may happen again so you might just want to take preventative measures?" Rose asked.

Jay nodded in confirmation.

"You're right. But secondly, on a more horrible note…loads of blood has been found nearby the sealed mountain entrance in the woods."

"Blood?" Rose repeated, blankly.

"Blood," Jay confirmed, "I think they're trying to confirm whether or not it's human…"

"W-what?" Tripp asked, his face grey, "_human_ blood?"

Jay shrugged.

"They're not expecting it, they just have to rule it out I suppose."

"Okay…" Tripp said, desperately trying not to think about what Jay had just said, "so if we're not so pushed for time, what does the Professor want you to do?"

"He wants me to record more than one day's worth of readings on the water and rocks."

"How many?" Rose asked.

"He said two or three preferably."

"Well that's fine, we can spend the extra time training!" Tripp grinned.

Only Rose seemed slightly worried by this prospect. When she was constantly on the move she found it more difficult to dwell on her thoughts…what was she going to do, camping out by ponds for days at a time?

_Probably give you enough time to finally think of a reply to Morty's letter_, she thought wryly.

-o-

As it happened, Rose was kept busier than she thought. Tripp insisted on training with her three times a day. This was difficult at first, as it had been a very long time since she had done any proper training and, as she had found previously, it wasn't something that could easily be slipped back in to. They managed it though, and soon their Pokémon were feeling formidable once more. Tripp was particularly impressed with Raichu whose electric attacks seemed at least twice as powerful as Pikachu's had been.

"Why is there all this crap about not evolving Pikachu?" Tripp asked, thoroughly confused as to why anyone would be reluctant.

"I suppose most people evolve Pikachu before it's ready, so the result is a not very fast, not particularly strong Raichu."

Tripp nodded in understanding; he reckoned somatotropin level readers should be available to all Pokémon trainers.

As well as training with Tripp, Rose had thrown herself into research with Jay. She knew the task wasn't hers and that there was no need to be so involved, but it did help to take her mind off things, and she had never been one to deliberately pass up a chance to learn something new. Jay had also brought three very large volumes with him; one on mineral levels in water, one on magnetism in rocks, and one on minerals and the theories of their role in Pokémon evolution: this last volume was written by Professor Willow himself. Therefore, despite Rose's worries, her days were filled with battling, reading, and experimenting. Before bed she just had enough time to swig from her rum bottle until all went hazy and thoughts of Morty became pleasant rather than agonising.

-o-

"Rooose," she heard someone saying, "wake up already! We need to leave soon!"

Rose's eyes flew open and travelled straight towards the now empty rum bottle. She clutched her head as she sat up. Unfortunately her alcohol tolerance seemed to have increased and she had had to finish the rest of the bottle last night before her tears stopped falling. She knew that drinking really wasn't the best way to be dealing with everything, but at the moment she couldn't think of another solution.

"What's gotten in to you?" Tripp asked as Rose finally emerged from her tent, her eyes bloodshot and her hair slightly frizzy and unkempt.

"Just haven't been sleeping well," she croaked, deliberately avoiding Jay's eyes. He was becoming more and more intolerant of her excuses.

Having finished with Epazote Town, the three of them were finally on their way to Borage City, where another Gym Challenge awaited Rose and Tripp. The scenery was becoming ever more mountainous the more Eastward they travelled; Professor Willow was adamant that they tested more than one body of water and rock group around the next city.

"That's going to take us days!" Tripp groaned, "if we have to test each area _three _times a day for two or three _days_ \- and how many sites does he want us to test?!"

"Only two or three," Jay mumbled, his face flaming.

"Stop being such an arse, Tripp," Rose snapped, "we knew Jay had to do this, there's no need to be such a baby about it."

Tripp opened his mouth to retaliate but caught himself in time. If he wanted to change her feelings towards him he'd have to work a bit harder than that.

"Sorry," he said quietly, to her complete astonishment.

Jay had to prevent himself from laughing out loud – he didn't think he had ever seen Rose looking so stumped. She couldn't think of a reply, so she nodded lamely and they continued on their journey.

-o-

"What is it Morty?" Eusine asked; he wasn't stupid, he had noticed his best friend's mood worsening over the last few days.

"I just thought she might...I was expecting…d'you think she's even gotten my letter?" he asked, his violet eyes slightly crazed.

"Well, you paid for Swellow Next Day Delivery," Eusine said awkwardly, "so I'd have to assume she has the letter…maybe she's just busy?"

"She's not okay," Morty said, beginning to pace his living room.

"She could just be busy?" Eusine suggested weakly, but Morty shook his head.

"I can't explain it, I just know…"

"But Morty -"

"I think it's because of the clairvoyance that I feel this," he said seriously, "it feels…different this time…stronger, no, I don't know."

He sat next to Eusine on the sofa and pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes.

"Stronger in what way?"

"Well the visions are more clear than ever, and more _real_ too…I-I can't explain it," he repeated, "but with Rose, I don't know, but I swear she's not okay."

"And you think this is clairvoyance related?" Eusine asked, trying hard to keep the scepticism out of his voice.

"I don't know! Okay?" Morty shouted. Eusine recoiled, he had never seen his friend lose his temper before; Morty was very mellow as a person.

"Sorry Morty…" Eusine said nervously, "I'm just trying to help you out."

"I know…I know," Morty said, his face pained, "I didn't mean to snap…I'm just…I'm worried and I'm freaked out. Why do I feel like I know how she's feeling? And if I can…_why_? And if I'm right, what's the hell's wrong with her?!"

Eusine could only stare at his agitated friend and chewed on his bottom lip. He had never felt quite so useless in his whole life.

-o-

Fernando had to try very hard to conceal his irritation upon hearing that Lance and Clair had come to see him yet again.

"If it isn't my favourite niece and nephew…"

They deliberately ignored his sarcasm – they weren't here to argue with their uncle, no matter how infuriating he might be.

"Uncle," Lance said gravely, "we bear grim news."

Fernando did not ask, he merely waited.

"The blood found in Dill Woods has been confirmed as being human."

Fernando nodded slowly, he could not deny that this information surprised him.

"Is it thought to be murder?"

Clair hesitated.

"The Police are reluctant to comment; we think the general opinion is that there_ is_ Pokémon involvement, but none of the Pokémon in those woods are particularly dangerous."

"Are they considering the involvement of a trained Pokémon then?"

Lance and Clair shrugged.

"We're not sure anymore, the Police are keeping very quiet, they only told us to inform you."

Fernando rolled his eyes. It never ceased to amaze him why authority figures believed he should know all of Sesame's goings on. He was not a police man, nor was he a ranger, nurse or anything else for that matter. What was a Pokémon expert expected to do?

"Thank you for informing me."

"There was something else," Clair said. She was annoyed with herself in that she couldn't look into her uncle's ireful brown eyes.

"Yes?" the older man asked listlessly.

"Grandfather has gone away," Lance told him.

Fernando looked up in surprise, he had never known his father to leave Blackthorn City.

"Where has he gone?"

"We don't know, he would not tell us," Clair sighed.

"Do _you_ have any idea where he might be? Or what he might be doing? He said it had 'everything to do with Pascalia'," Lance said, staring intently at Fernando as if trying to salvage some clues. To his disappointment his uncle looked as stumped as he felt.

"I can't say I have any ideas," he mumbled, frowning to himself.

Clair and Lance waited for him to elaborate, but Fernando simply stared into the open flames, which ever burned in his personal grate.

"Well, please let us know if you do…have any ideas," Lance said, one eyebrow raised as he surveyed his motionless uncle. Fernando made no sign of even hearing him.

"Goodbye then?" Clair said tentatively.

She and Lance left when it became evident that Fernando was no longer paying them any attention. He was a very strange man; that they agreed on.

-o-

It took Rose, Jay, and Tripp a lot longer to reach Borage City now that they were required to take two days' worth of readings in each place they stopped. Rose was growing more irritable. Her rum had run out the night before they left the pond by Epazote Town, and she had not had a chance to go to the shops alone to buy any more. She therefore had spent the last two nights crying again and, as a result, her throat was starting to feel dry and raw.

"Training time Rose?" Tripp suggested as Jay began to lay his instruments out by a large group of granite grey stones.

"No," she said, hugging her knees and staring at nothing.

Tripp glanced over at Jay who shrugged.

"We haven't really got anything planned tonight," Tripp mused, "would you two fancy getting some drinks?"

"Yes," Rose grinned, sitting up straight and looking happy for the first time all day.

"Really?" Tripp asked, "I was under the impression you didn't like drinking?"

Rose managed to shrug.

"I just fancy it tonight," she lied, "we've had a busy few days, it'd be good to relax."

Tripp insisted on going to the shop alone; there weren't many shops on the way to Borage City and he said he didn't want to stand out too much, not yet being eighteen. Rose began to get a little twitchy – she wanted to go with him; she wanted to choose and she wanted to make sure there would be enough.

"Why would you want your own bottle of rum?" Tripp asked, frowning at her as she tried to shove the Pokéloan notes in his face.

"Just easier isn't it? That way I know exactly what's mine."

Tripp raised his eyebrows but took the money from her anyway, before making his way down the road. Rose lay back on the ground, a contented smile on her face.

"Since when do you drink rum?" Jay asked casually.

"I've always liked rum," she said evasively, closing her eyes.

Jay distinctly remembered her saying at the ball that she didn't ever drink really, but he decided not to push it now.

"I need to take one more reading in a couple of hours," he said, checking his watch, "and then we can leave here and get going again."

Rose merely nodded. She wasn't too fussed where they went, so long as she had her rum.

-o-

"Aah guys," Rose slurred happily. She was sat between Jay and Tripp and had an arm around each of their necks, "You're my best, best friends."

She gave them each a loud kiss on the cheek. Jay and Tripp, who were also feeling rather tiddly, laughed along with her.

"C'mon guys, 'nother beer," Rose giggled, crawling towards the large pack. She cracked open three and sighed happily as she settled herself back between them.

"You okay Rose?" Jay mumbled as he took a slurp from his fresh can.

"Yes, yes, I'm good, all good…" she hiccoughed.

"Aren't you…aren't you going to tell us why you've been crying?" Jay probed. He wasn't sure why, but he felt like now was the time to bring it up.

"Crying Ro? When you been crying?" Tripp asked, his brow furrowed, and his can tipping precariously in his unsteady hand.

"I hear her crying in her tent," Jay whispered pointlessly - Rose was, of course, sat right between them.

"Shu'p Jay," she warned, pressing her forefinger to his forehead threateningly.

"Why won't you just tell us?" he whined, hugging her around the waist, "we love you."

Rose laughed loudly; Jay's weight meant that she herself fell into Tripp's lap.

"Hello," she said, staring up at him before bursting into laughter once more. Soon all three of them were laughing again – they were really very drunk.

"You really been crying Ro?" Tripp asked, poking her nose where she was still in his lap, Jay still half on top of her.

"Naaah, not anymore."

"Liar," Jay mumbled.

Rose rolled her eyes and extricated herself with difficulty.

"I've had enough," she slurred, crawling over to her tent, "goin' to bed now."

Jay was still lying on the ground next to Tripp; the campfire started to crackle loudly as a log fell from near the top of the pile.

"Why don' you go 'n' talk to her?" he suggested, sitting up so that he could see his friend.

"Does she really cry at night time?" Tripp asked, his eyelids drooping heavily from both the warmth of the fire and the alcohol.

"Mhmm," Jay nodded, "she's really misler…miserable, but she won't tell me why…I still think it's 'cause of you though."

"I'm going to talk to her," Tripp said decidedly, standing up on unsteady legs.

"Go get 'er," Jay managed to stammer, before falling back on the soft earth with a snore.

Tripp staggered over to Rose's tent and crouched down before knocking on the canvas. He laughed at himself when he realised it would make no noise.

"Roooose."

"W-what?" she hiccoughed.

"Lemme in."

"No."

Tripp was stunned for a moment.

"Why not?"

"I wanna be alone."

"Please?"

He heard her scowl, but grinned as she unzipped her tent.

"Want some rum?" she asked as he crawled in, offering him her fresh bottle.

"Nah, 'm good thanks."

He stared into her brown eyes and was slightly surprised to see they were wet.

"Are you crying?"

"Mind your own business," she said, closing her eyes wearily.

Tripp nodded, he understood, she wasn't ready to discuss _this_ yet, especially not with him. He took a swig of her rum, mainly for something to do with his hands.

"I missed you when I was away," he said quietly.

Rose took in a deep breath, she didn't really want to have this conversation. She couldn't think what to say back, and so she merely nodded, and drank some more rum herself. After a few moments silence Tripp spoke again.

"Since when could you take so much drink anyway?"

Rose gave a mirthless laugh.

"It's helpful sometimes…alcohol."

Tripp nodded in agreement. Unfortunately, he did not notice the opening to ask her what was wrong. Somewhere in his mind he thought she was saying she forgave him for getting drunk on the night of the ball.

"It really is…and decisions you make when you're drunk…they don't count, you can't be…can't be blamed for them," he said, his voice slightly hopeful.

Rose stared at him in horror. Was he really saying this? Was he blaming his actions with Amy on alcohol? Even though Rose could remember next to none of Damien's birthday party, she knew it was all entirely her fault.

"Yes you can be blamed," she said, a quiet fury in her voice, "it's still your decision."

"But you do stuff when you're drunk that you'd never normally dare to do…like this…"

He leant over and softly kissed her lips. Rose pulled away abruptly in horror – what was he _doing_?! How on earth had he justified this in his self-centred head?

"Just leave please, Tripp," she whispered brokenly, turning away from him as tears gathered in her eyes.

He looked up at her to see her crying. He shouldn't push this, Jay would tell him not to.

"Goodnight then," he smiled as he made his drunken way out of her tent.

He was very proud of himself for leaving when he did. Hopefully he had made her feel a lot better, shown her he still cared about her…he was asleep as soon as his head hit his pillow.

Back in her tent Rose lay flat on her back, staring at the canvas ceiling, her lips moving soundlessly. She could feel her teardrops trickling down into her ears and the whole tent seemed to sway around her.

"_Love Morty_," she recited to herself over and over. Alcohol didn't seem to be working any more. Thoughts of him were hitting her hard and fast, and they were more painful than ever. How had it come to this, she wondered, this fruitless self-destruction? She realised she needed to get a grip, but it was hard - she could not just forget him, how could she, when she sometimes caught a trace of his spicy scent that still lingered on her skin? She could not forget, but nor could she forgive herself. She only had herself to blame, and she couldn't help but feel that she deserved the pain. She sat up clumsily and stared hard at the bottle of rum. Numbness. She did not deserve to numb the pain, she deserved to suffer, just as Morty would surely suffer when he found out. She couldn't hide it forever, and nor could she envisage a forever that didn't have him in it. Taking deep, gasping breaths she unscrewed the bottle cap and emptied the remains of the rum outside her tent.

-o-

"What're you looking so happy about?" Morty asked as Eusine waltzed into his flat, an alarmingly radiant smile on his face.

"You and I are getting out tonight, we're going to go and _talk_ to some people and have some _fun_."

"Eusine, you hate talking to people…_and_ you hate any concept of fun that involves other people."

Eusine laughed heartily.

"You're right, but _you_ need to get out - get a change of scenery!"

Morty sighed heavily.

"And where are we going exactly?"

"To Sam and Damien's," Eusine replied happily.

Morty could only blink in astonishment.

"I know, I know, I never used to get on with them…but we're older now, right? Any friends of yours should be friends of mine!"

Morty shrugged half-heartedly.

"As long as it's not one of their mental affairs…"

"Just some drinks with a few people, Sam said."

"Okay, fine. What time?"

"At eight," Eusine said checking his watch, "so in about half an hour!"

Morty groaned and covered his face with his hands.

-o-

When they arrived at the cabin the evening was well underway.

"Morty!" Damien called, grasping his old friend in a one-armed hug, "come and talk, we haven't spoken properly in _ages_," he shoved a beer into Morty's hand and seated him on the sofa.

Morty glanced around, the four brothers he knew and also, eurgh, the three kimono girls, Naoko, Kuni, and Miki. Eusine had been right; by Sam and Damien's standards this was a very small gathering. Although Morty could think of many things he would rather be doing, he appreciated Eusine's efforts, especially considering his old friend was not the biggest fan of anyone in the room.

After a couple of beers, however, Morty found that he was starting to enjoy himself. He laughed inwardly as he noticed Kuni advancing on Eusine; lots of girls really seemed to like the mysterious, eccentric look that he had.

Glancing to his left he saw Naoko eyeing him with interest. Quickly, he stood from the sofa and went into the kitchen to grab another drink – this really wasn't a situation he wanted to find himself in. Luckily, when he arrived back into the living room he was hailed by Will who, at sixteen, was the third oldest brother.

"Morty! How's it going?"

"Hey Will," he said, "I'm okay thanks. You made enough balls to last you through winter yet?"

"My _God _Morty!" Damien yelled from across the room, "we're not here to talk about _work_!"

Morty could feel himself getting slightly irritated, but tried to ignore it – his temper was rather closer to the surface these days; it wasn't Damien's fault that he felt exhausted half of the time.

"Apologies," he attempted a grin which must have convinced most present, for they all laughed. He caught Eusine's eye and shook his head slightly at his apologetic look – this wasn't his fault either.

"What have you been up to apart from the Gym?" Will asked, he was fairly interested in Pokémon training, "anything?"

"Er, not much," Morty said truthfully, running his hands through his dark blond hair awkwardly. What had gotten into him? It was as though he had lost the ability to socialise tonight.

"Lots of free time then, huh Morty?" someone purred from behind him. Miki rested a manicured hand on his arm and raised her black eyebrows seductively.

"No, not really," he said coolly, wrenching his arm from her grasp. Unfortunately, Miki had had a few more drinks than he had, and wasn't perturbed by his cold front. Will, who was also drunker than him, only laughed as Morty had to physically restrain Miki from fawning all over him. Eusine stood up from the sofa where he had been deep in conversation with Kuni. It wasn't a secret that he and Miki had never gotten on.

"Oi, leave him alone, he _has_ a girlfriend," Eusine said, his eyes narrowed.

"A _girlfriend_, Morty?!" Damien asked, his face lighting up with glee.

Morty mumbled incoherently and reminded himself to kill Eusine when they got back.

"Do we know her?" Sam asked, unable to keep the smile from his usually serious face.

Morty merely blushed; he did not want to tell them about Rose, but the alcohol swirling around his brain meant that he wasn't quick enough to think up an alibi. Eusine felt absolutely terrible; he had organised this so that Morty might feel better – all he had essentially done was hand him to the wolves.

Miki glanced between Morty and Damien, and a particularly vicious smile lit her face.

"Damien has a girlfriend too, don't you know," she said slyly.

Morty breathed a sigh of relief – he might yet get away with saying nothing.

"I wouldn't exactly say she's my girlfriend," Damien laughed.

"It certainly looked like it on Monday night," Naoko giggled.

Damien rolled his eyes.

"I wish I hadn't bothered! I_ finally_ got her to my bed and all she bloody did was roll away from me and cry herself to sleep! What the hell?"

"Well she _had_ looked pretty sad all night," Will commented.

"And she was in a pretty weird mood when I dropped her in Olivine City on Tuesday," Sam said musingly.

Morty frowned slightly in confusion.

"So Morty," Will asked suddenly, "who did you say your girlfriend was?"

"Rose isn't it?" Miki asked sweetly, jumping in with her 'question' and glancing over at Damien simultaneously. Eusine glared daggers at her. He had just clicked what was going on and his mouth fell open in horror.

"Rose…that I saw you with?" Damien asked, smiling slightly, with the appearance of one who was cradling a massive bombshell.

"Yes," Morty said stiffly.

"She's _your_ girlfriend?" Damien laughed disbelievingly, "well…sorry about that one then buddy," he winked.

"What did you say?" Morty asked incredulously. The whole cabin fell into expectant silence.

"At my party…" Damien began, watching Morty half warily, half in amusement, "on Monday…we were drunk…she stayed in my bed."

Suddenly all three kimono girls screamed, and Sam yelled "Hey!"

Morty, in a flash of movement, had pinned Damien to the wall of the cabin, his fist gripping the front of his t-shirt.

"_What _did you say?" he repeated, his violet eyes flashing dangerously.

"Whoa Morty! Chill ou-" Damien started to say, his hands raised.

"Don't you tell me to chill out!" Morty yelled; his face was offensively close to Damien's as he slammed him up against the wall again. The rest of the room was at a loss for words. They had never seen Morty lose his temper.

"Jeez Morty! It was a party! We were _drunk_!"

"So you took advantage of her," he spat.

"Will you let go of me please?!"

"Admit it," he snarled. Damien began to feel alarmed, Morty looked quite deranged.

"Admit what?!"

"You used her!"

"I did not _use_ her!"

"You sort of did," a quiet voice piped up. Every head in the room swivelled towards Jack, who was perched on the arm of the sofa, his face turning steadily pink at the attention. Even Morty, in his shock, released Damien.

"What do you mean?!" Damien shouted at his youngest brother, straightening his t-shirt angrily.

"Well," Jack said even more quietly, "she was clearly very depressed, I mean, she barely spoke the whole time she was here."

"Is anyone going to explain _why _she was even here?" Morty snapped.

"Damien brought her," Sam supplied; he forced himself to remain calm, "I wanted to thank her for her help with Farfetch'd – she was meant to be going to Olivine that night, but we convinced her to stay…"

"Forced more like," Jack mumbled.

"Shut the fuck up Jack," Damien growled.

"Calm down, Damien," Will frowned, "let him speak."

"She didn't _want_ to stay, it was obvious!" Jack said, "you guys shoved a beer in her hand and forced her onto the sofa, and _you_ Damien, I heard you tell Sam that you thought she'd be easy after a few beers," he said apologetically to his brother.

Eusine had to physically restrain Morty.

"She drank so much beer in one go, I'm surprised she wasn't sick everywhere," Will said musingly.

"She was," Damien smirked, "out of my bedroom window."

That was all it took for Morty to see red, and before anyone realised what he was doing, he had wrenched himself from Eusine's grip and punched Damien heavily on the nose. The whole room reverberated with the resounding crack when fist met bone.

"Holy shit!" Sam yelled, running to help his brother, who had fallen backwards onto the floor from both the force of the blow and his shock.

"Why would you even kiss her?" Morty asked, his voice shaking with anger as he glared down at Damien, "She clearly wasn't asking for it!"

"I donb't bucking doh! Why not?" Damien shouted, desperately trying to staunch the flow of blood, "she dthidn't egsactly resist when I dthid!"

"She was quite clearly very drunk though, and really upset," Jack said earnestly, "and I think you _did_ know that Damien, you saw her crying when we were dancing…"

Morty had to take several deep breaths to prevent himself lashing out again. It was painful, to hear about Rose's depression, and to know that nobody helped her, or even talked to her.

"I did _not_ take 'advantage' of her!" Damien insisted, but everyone in the room could hear his guilty undertones.

"You're disgusting," Morty spat, advancing on Damien once again.

"Look, Morty, I know we're mates, but this isn't cool," Sam said angrily, stepping in front of Damien, "maybe you and Eusine should just leave?"

"With pleasure," Morty snapped. He did not even put on his jacket; flinging it over his shoulder he stormed from the cabin, Eusine hurrying after him.

-o-

Eusine was at a total loss for words. Luckily for him, Morty broke the tense silence himself.

"Am I a complete idiot?" he asked hollowly.

Eusine's mouth fell open – he had no idea what to say to his friend.

As they approached the edge of the forest Morty sat down heavily against a tree, his violet eyes hard.

"I don't even know what to think," he said quietly after a while. Eusine risked a glance at him and was relieved to see his eyes were dry - not that the blazing anger in them was much more reassuring.

"What do you mean?" Eusine managed to finally ask.

Morty rested his head against the tree and stared up at the night sky.

"Was this all some big game to her?! Why would she have even fucking gone there in the first place?! She must have known he liked her – Damien's never exactly been _subtle_."

Morty snorted derisively but Eusine could detect the concealed pain in his voice.

"Morty…we don't know all the facts…and let's face it; anything that comes out of Damien's mouth tends to have a lewd spin on it…"

"She still kissed him though," he said; he wasn't sure if he was closer to punching something again in frustration or collapsing in a heap in his own misery.

Eusine sighed heavily. This was a horrible situation and although he would rather have believed that this Rose wouldn't have done such a thing, he had to accept that she had, and that she had hurt his best friend.

"You heard what Jack was saying though…she was depressed, she was drunk…"

"I was also pretty fucking depressed on Monday, but I don't recall jumping into bed with anyone either," Morty seethed.

"You're going to have to talk to her," Eusine said earnestly, "she might have a completely different story…"

Morty laughed coldly.

"You heard them all, Will, Miki, Damien…I don't think there's much more I need, or want, to know. God I must look like such a _mug_."

He turned to Eusine and scowled.

"Thanks Eusine, thanks for telling them I have a 'girlfriend', yeah…you _really_ helped me out there."

"I was just trying to help," Eusine said, beginning to grow angry himself. This wasn't his fault.

"You think I can't fucking handle Miki on my own?! It's not the first time she's tried it on! Although it would appear that not everyone has the same 'self-control' that I have," he snarled.

"You need to talk to Rose," Eusine said assertively, "you can't just decide what happened on the words of Damien!"

"I don't need to talk to her," Morty snapped, "her lack of reply is all the proof I need thank you very much."

Eusine's mouth fell open. She never did reply to his letter. He hated to admit that Morty was probably right here, but that didn't explain the connection he seemed to feel with her, and Eusine could not fathom why she had returned his sentiments if they hadn't been true…

The rest of the journey back to Ecruteak Gym, and Morty's flat, was passed in silence. Eusine could not help glancing up at his friend every now and again; his face, which had showed nothing but hardened fury was being slowly replaced by an image of pure wretchedness. Eusine felt himself well up as Morty hurriedly brushed away the wetness forming in his eyes.

"How could I have got it so wrong, Eusine?" he croaked as they entered the flat.

Eusine sighed and sat next to Morty on the sofa.

"I still don't think you should –"

"I love her," Morty said suddenly, piercing Eusine with a gaze both challenging and defiant, "I don't know why the fuck I do after so little time, but I do, and she's just gone and proved that it's not real," Eusine could only stare at his friend, "she said she loved me…why would she bother? Why would she give me hope if it was just a game to her?"

"Do you think it was a game to her?"

"Well I didn't! But what the fuck else can it be?!"

"I tend to believe in gut feeling Morty…I don't even know her but I feel like you've got it wrong…people make mistakes…do you honestly believe she meant it when she said…that?"

"Well I did but –"

"So you did," Eusine interrupted, "and I think you still believe it now…am I correct?"

"I believed it, but now it makes no sense."

"People make mistakes Morty," Eusine repeated, "and to be honest, when Damien's involved, I'm not sure she should be held solely accountable for her actions," he gave a wry smile, "Get some sleep, we can talk about it in the morning, when you've had some time to think."

Morty only nodded, his mind racing and his heart thudding dully against his ribs.

**AN: Well that was bound to come out somehow. Morty's clairvoyance is much stronger now than when he was a child; there are things that he thinks and feels that he can't quite understand yet. I think he knows that Rose is effectively innocent (in that she meant everything that she said to him) but let's face it, the evidence is making her look very, very guilty. *sighs***

**Also, Rose has realised that she needs to get a grip on herself, and she knows that she's the only one who can do it. She's done with drinking.**

**Tripp, well. Unfortunately he's of the opinion it's all about him, he'll soon learn that he's doing more harm than good. Hmm.**

**Even though he's my own character, I can't help but love Fernando – such a pompous arse XD**

**Love A xx**


	28. Chapter 28

Tripp awoke feeling a curious combination of both nervous and confident. He lay quietly in his tent for a while, savouring the memories of their kiss from the previous night. He thought he heard Rose emerge from her tent, and had his body not been reacting to thoughts of her in a very embarrassing, and very obvious way, he too would have emerged.

Rose unzipped her tent and rolled her eyes at Jay, who was still sleeping outside in the position she'd left him in, on his front with one arm curled uncomfortably underneath his chest. She made her way over to him, about to nudge his ribs with her foot, when a feathery rustling met her ears. Glancing quickly skyward she saw, with a lump in her throat, another Air Mail Swellow with a letter clamped tightly in its beak. Rose grabbed the letter from the bird Pokémon and, feeling very sick, she dashed back into her tent. Jay remained sleeping on the grassy ground.

As she had half hoped, and half feared, the stamp confirmed that the letter was from Johto. Taking a deep breath, and wondering what on earth this letter could possibly hold, she tore it open: it was more a note than a letter.

_Rose,_

_I've spoken to Damien. I suppose I was naïve to think you hadn't received my letter. I think we could do with talking, but I know you're busy. Even so, I'd appreciate it if you actually replied this time._

_Morty_

Rose unzipped her tent and was violently sick outside. Jay stirred and Tripp peeked his head out from his own tent, a grin on his face.

"Can't handle your drink after all, Ro," he laughed.

Rose could not answer. Her stomach was heaving and she was sweating all over, her hands shook as she attempted to wipe her mouth.

"Did you drink that whole bottle of rum?!" Jay croaked, propping himself up on his elbows to get a better look at the empty bottle outside Rose's tent. Rose shook her head, but couldn't prevent herself from being sick again.

Tripp rummaged in his bag and brought out a bottle of water. He knelt next to Rose and pulled her hair from her clammy face.

"Here," he smiled, handing her the bottle. Rose attempted to smile gratefully back at him. She had managed to stop vomiting, but her hands were still shaking uncontrollably.

"What's the matter?" Tripp frowned, catching sight of her hands, "are you ill? You don't seem hungover…"

"I-I'm okay," Rose croaked, taking another swig of water as her eyes welled up with tears.

Jay came to kneel on her other side and put his arm around her shoulders.

"I always cry when I'm sick too," he said jovially. Rose couldn't help but give a weak giggle at the sight of his honey blond hair which was stuck at impossible angles around his head.

Convinced that they had made her feel better, Jay and Tripp began discussing their next plans as Rose went back in her tent to dress.

"Did you need to take one more set of readings around here?" Tripp asked

Jay grinned cheekily.

"To be honest, all the readings I've taken so far have been completely normal and have remained so…so I might just record today's levels as the same as yesterday's – I very much doubt they'll have changed."

Tripp laughed and slapped him on the back.

"So we're going to Borage City today?!"

"I guess so," Jay grinned.

They both turned to Rose, who was climbing out of her tent, and who hurriedly tried to grin back.

"Cool!" she managed to say.

-o-

Borage City was easily the smallest they had been to so far, and most of the houses and buildings were comprised of log cabins. To add to the quaint atmosphere, the paths were formed of cobbled stones and wild flowers grew copiously along them.

"This is a city?" Jay asked, sounding rather stumped.

"Apparently," Tripp said rechecking the sign, which was hard to make out in the dark, "pretty small isn't it?"

They both turned to Rose, who was yet to comment, only to see that she didn't appear to be taking in the city at all. Her brown eyes were lifeless and she was staring straight ahead at nothing in particular.

"Rose? Are you still feeling ill?" Tripp asked, placing his hand on her shoulder. She didn't seem to have heard him, but merely glanced down at his hand as though wondering how it had come to be there.

"Let's go and get some dinner," Jay said worriedly, taking in Rose's pale face. Tripp was right, she wasn't acting hungover.

She was still relatively silent as they ate their rice and prawns, but both Tripp and Jay were pleased to see that a little of her colour had come back, and that she smiled more than she had on the walk to Borage City. After she had finished eating, Rose left for the showers.

"I kissed her last night," Tripp said quietly, moving his last grains of rice around his bowl.

"You_ what_?!" Jay spluttered.

"After you fell asleep, I went into her tent."

"And?!"

"And nothing," Tripp shrugged, "she seemed pretty low about the whole thing so I just kept it chaste."

"Did she kiss you back?"

"Well, it wasn't really long enough for her to have a chance to," Tripp smiled ruefully.

"But she didn't shove you away?"

"She told me to leave straight after, but I think she was just worried about liking me, like you said."

Jay frowned to himself. Nothing seemed to be adding up. Tripp had been behaving very well recently, and Rose didn't seem to have any grudge against him. Surely if she liked him, his kissing her last night would have been a perfect opportunity for her? Jay's frown deepened. He didn't like it, but Bianca's insistence that something else was probably wrong with Rose was starting to make more and more sense.

-o-

Jay's mobile phone woke him the following morning with its incessant, shrill ringing.

"Hello Professor Willow," he mumbled, sitting up in his sleeping bag.

"Ah Jay, are the three of you well?"

"We're fine," Jay said, thinking of Rose who seemed to be anything but.

"Excellent, now, I have some rather disturbing news; that blood that was found around Dill Rook has been proven to be human…"

Jay felt the skin on his arms tingle unpleasantly.

"And so I was merely wondering how close you are to arriving there?"

"Well we've just reached Borage City -"

"Wonderful, wonderful, you're further on than I hoped…are Rose and Tripp still challenging the Gyms?"

"Yeah, they each got a Rust Badge a few days ago."

"Good, good. It is more important now than ever before that they keep on top of their training. Nobody is fully aware of what danger is lurking around Dill Rook. An obvious guess would of course be the Dragon Pokémon trapped there but, if anything, they are only _more_ secured now by that ice…"

Professor Willow trailed off in thought and Jay cleared his throat.

"Was there anything else you needed us to do Professor?"

"No, no, you're all doing marvellously, it was only necessary to warn you about the blood, and to take special care and let me know as soon as you arrive."

"Thank you Professor," Jay said quietly, chewing on his lower lip in concern. Jay's concern only increased when he heard vomiting coming from outside.

"Rose?" he asked, sticking his head out of his tent.

She looked up at him in alarm, her face pale and her eyes wide.

"You feeling okay?"

She nodded slowly.

"Are you sure? You look a bit grey around the gills."

"I'm okay," she muttered, "must have been something I ate."

Jay considered this; they had all eaten the same thing for dinner, and neither he nor Tripp felt ill this morning – not to mention that she had been sick the previous day too. He didn't press it however, she looked too rough.

"Morning," Tripp yawned, clambering out of his tent. He wrinkled his nose suddenly.

"Ro…you been sick again?" he asked.

Rose sighed heavily before she answered.

"Yes," she said tiredly, sick of lying and pretending, "I haven't been feeling great."

She avoided his eyes lest he see the anguish in hers and become suspicious.

"Are you well enough to try the Gym?" Tripp asked hopefully.

"Oh yeah, about that," Jay piped up, "the Professor just called me this morning."

"Oh?" Tripp asked.

"That blood they found around Dill Rook _was _human."

Even Rose looked shocked.

"Human?" Tripp repeated, aghast.

"Yeah, so the Professor's pretty worried about what's going on around there, and so he wants you two to keep on top of your training…just in case."

Tripp nodded grimly, he was still looking rather stricken.

"Well then Rose," he finally said, "I guess we should get on it?"

Rose took a deep breath and tried to calm her rolling stomach. She didn't think she could face a Gym Battle in this state.

"This Gym's Psychic type," Jay said conversationally; having grown up in the neighbouring Annatto City, he knew a little about Borage's Gym.

"Psychic's weak against Ghost and Dark types…right?" Tripp asked Rose.

Rose merely nodded. Jay began to look from her to Tripp, trying to gauge their relationship. Rose certainly wasn't angry with him, but she wasn't particularly happy with him, or Jay either, for that matter.

"Well, do you want to try it today? Or would you rather train?"

Rose shrugged. If she was honest, she didn't care about badges or Gyms or anything else right now. Tripp glanced over at Jay in concern; Rose had certainly not been herself since returning from Johto, but she had never been as bad as this.

-o-

Lying low. That seemed the best option for now.

Pascalia frowned to herself as she stroked Dragonair's head. She had been convinced that the ice would work – why hadn't it frozen the rock face and caused it to shatter? She remembered Chelsea's doubts regarding her plan and smiled to herself. Chelsea had been useful in her own way. It was a shame she'd had to kill her.

Pascalia was feeling stronger than she ever had; the Garchomp, sensing the Draco Silicis, were completely calm and under her control now. This surprised her somewhat. In her plans, the breaking into the mountain had been the easiest part, and the taming of the Garchomp had been the part that challenged her most. However, the Garchomp already appeared to be under her control, and she was yet to come face to face with them!

Suddenly Pascalia felt the all too familiar haze take over her senses; it was almost as though a cold hand were taking hold of her brain and enabling her to think thoughts that she never normally would. It was this haze that had convinced her that Chelsea needed to be done away with. The feelings that the haze induced were pleasant; almost like cold water trickling down one's back on a hot, sticky day…but the haze had been becoming more…impatient as of late. It wanted this mountain opened, and it wanted it as soon as possible. Try as she might, Pascalia could not think of a way to break past the molten, marble-like rock. No ordinary fire type attack could have sealed it so tightly. She vaguely wondered if she should visit Sesame's Champion: she knew that it was he who had sealed Dill Rook, but she always decided on the negative. With Lance and Clair mooching around and poking their noses in, the Champion was bound to know she was 'missing' and would alert her family if she approached him.

She sighed deeply and leant back against the mountain face. Hielo and Ledus she had sent away with orders to continue training her ice type Pokémon. She didn't believe the training to be necessary, but she wanted them away from Dill Rook. The haze was private, and seemed more likely to pervade her brain when she was alone…and she liked the haze. It made her feel special, powerful; it wanted the same things that she did.

-o-

Rose insisted that Tripp challenge the Gym, even though she herself refused to.

"Tripp, this was always your dream, I'm not going to challenge the Gym today, and maybe not ever, so _please_, stop making me feel guilty and just go and give it a try."

"But Rose, you already have six badges! You're so near the end! Why can't you just –"

"It's not going to happen," she said flatly.

"Well, we can stay in Borage City until you feel up to it?" Jay suggested, "I mean, I'll need to take a few readings around here anyway, so you never know, maybe in a few days you'll feel better?"

Rose had to bite her lip to prevent herself from arguing. She didn't feel great physically, but she knew she would be able to win a battle. Her mental state, however, was more questionable and she was pretty certain that it wasn't going to change anytime soon.

"Maybe," she said through gritted teeth.

Tripp decided to challenge the Gym after they'd eaten lunch and, when he had finished his sandwiches, he made his final stop to the Pokémon Centre's main desk, leaving Jay and Rose in the Trainer's Lodge Café.

"Are you going to take Dr Wood up on his scholarship then?" Jay asked in a would-be casual voice, stirring sugar into his black coffee.

"Why?" Rose sighed.

"Because you've clearly given up on the Pokémon Master thing."

"I was never really set on it," she muttered, "Tripp wanted to go and my mother thought it would be good for me," she snorted, and drained the last of her tea.

"Why would she think that?"

"Because apparently Raichu and I have a 'special bond' – my dad supposedly had one with his Growlithe, and so there you have it, Rose's future decided for her," she said sarcastically.

Jay nodded slowly. He couldn't help but wonder what had happened to his friend.

"So you're not going to collect badges anymore…and you're not going to do Pokémon Medicine…what are you going to do?"

"I haven't got that far yet," Rose snapped.

"Well you need to really think about what you want," Jay said seriously, "you don't want it to be too late when you _do_ realise what you want. I think you should challenge the Gym with Tri-"

"Can't you just _shut up_?" Rose seethed, her head held in her hands. Jay looked over at her in shock – she had never been so rude to him. His anger abated when he saw a tear land on the table top beneath her.

"Rose," he said, sounding anguished, "what the hell is _wrong_ with you? I'm not stupid; ever since you came back from Johto you've been acting really strangely!"

Rose remained silent.

"For fuck's sake, I'm worried about you! What _happened_ there? Did someone hurt you?!" his face fell as a horrific possibility crossed his mind, "Rose, you weren't _raped_?!"

Despite her misery, Rose couldn't help the snort of laughter that came from her nose. Jay couldn't help but feel slightly relieved – at this point he was ready to believe the worst.

"You've not been yourself," he continued quietly, talking to her hands which were still holding her head, "and I know you said you had some stuff to 'figure out'…well you obviously haven't managed to do that, isn't it time to tell me?"

"Wish me luck guys!" came a jovial voice. Tripp sauntered over to their table and adjusted his grey beanie hat, his birthday present from Jay, over his floppy dark hair.

"Good luck, Tripp," Rose said evenly, managing to smile at him.

"Want us to come?" Jay offered, glancing at Rose warily.

"Not much point," Tripp shrugged, "you can't watch in this Gym apparently."

"Go get 'em," Jay smiled, gripping Tripp's outstretched hand.

After Tripp had left, Jay turned his attention back to Rose.

"So?"

"So what, Jay? I've nothing to tell you," she said, her brown eyes hard.

Jay tugged at his hair in frustration.

-o-

"Hello, hello, hello!" a voice called as Tripp stepped through the doors to the Gym.

"Er, hello," Tripp replied, looking over at the middle aged man, whose thinning ginger hair and rather large red nose made him look none too intimidating.

"My name is Rowland. Pokémon, I will admit, never much interested me until I came across the psychic type. I befriended a Chingling and my life was changed for good; not only did I grow to love Pokémon, I have also risen to the position of Gym Leader. Beat me and I'll bequeath the Medium Badge to you."

"I'm Tripp – how many Pokémon can I use?"

"You can use four – but I'm warning you, I'm good!" Rowland smiled.

-o-

Isadora flung open her front door and gaped in shock.

"Eusine?"

"Isadora, how are you? It's been far too long," the young man smiled, making his way into the house.

"It really has; have your parents settled in Celadon City?" she asked, handing Eusine a cup of tea and a slice of homemade cake. Eusine nodded through his first mouthful.

"Yeah, they're fine, they seem to quite like it there I think."

"Morty mentioned that you were back in Ecruteak, are you planning on staying long? ... Eusine?" Isadora asked, as Eusine's face fell at the mention of his friend.

"Morty's not right," he mumbled.

"What's wrong with him?" Isadora asked in a flash, her violet eyes wide, "is it the visions? Is he very ill?"

"No, no, nothing like that!" Eusine said hurriedly, noticing with alarm how white Morty's mother's knuckles had become from the force with which she was gripping the back of the kitchen chair.

Isadora visibly relaxed, to his relief.

"Then _what_ is it, Eusine?" she said huffily, "you gave me a fright!"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry you, but he's so angry and…and depressed! I can barely get him to talk to me, and I don't know what to do anymore."

"Well what can he possibly be angry about? Or depressed over? Are you _sure_ it's not his clairvoyance?"

"Definitely not, it's about Rose."

"Rose?" Isadora repeated blankly.

"Oh crap," Eusine muttered, "he hasn't - er…told you?"

"Told me _what_ Eusine?" Isadora asked, advancing on him, "who, may I ask, is 'Rose'?"

Eusine regretted coming here at all: for the first time ever he was strongly inclined to agree with Morty when he said that his mother could be scarily overbearing. He mumbled quietly into his lap.

"Speak up, Eusine!" Isadora commanded impatiently, her arms crossed tightly over her chest.

"His girlfriend," he sighed.

"Morty doesn't have a girlfriend," Isadora said with conviction.

"Well, not anymore he hasn't," Eusine mumbled.

"When did he have a girlfriend?! Neither Hector nor I have heard anything about this!"

Eusine sighed heavily.

"The point is that he _had_ a girlfriend, but he hasn't any more, and now he's become completely withdrawn over it all!"

"But why is he so upset? They can't have been together long…who even_ is_ she?" she asked in complete bewilderment.

"Did you watch Professor Willow's Eevee Broadcast?"

"Yes…" Isadora frowned, wondering where on earth this was leading. Then something clicked, "Rose did you say? That girl Rose was Morty's _girlfriend_?"

"_Yes_," Eusine said emphatically, "but you can't tell him I've told you, he'd kill me, and he's not in the best of moods as it is…"

"Isn't that girl living in Sesame? How did they even come to meet? And when? What's happened?!"

Eusine repressed rolling his eyes with great difficulty. Morty was right, he had to avoid telling his parents anything if he wanted a quiet life. After swearing Isadora to secrecy, Eusine told her the whole story as he knew it.

"Well, of course I won't say a word to him if you think it'll make everything worse," she said, sadly and seriously, "but I can't bear the thought of Morty going through this with nobody to talk to."

"He has me!" Eusine said earnestly, "but he just won't talk! He works all day in the Gym, he's becoming formidable to be honest, he hardly gets any challengers now, nobody's willing to take him on – Morty! Morty who's so patient! And when he gets home he barely talks to me, he just eats and sleeps and then goes back to the Gym…"

"Eusine," Isadora whispered, her eyes wide and filled with tears, "you _must_ get him to talk. He must be feeling so very alone now, what with his clairvoyance, and now this…"

"I will," Eusine sighed. It hurt him to see Isadora's worry, almost as much as it did to see Morty's bleakness, "and I'm sorry to worry you, I just wanted you to know."

"Thank you for telling me," she said quietly, her hand on his cheek, "I know Morty keeps things quiet, he thinks we're nosy…but we only worry about him, he's had a tough old time of it really," she said sadly.

Eusine nodded and blinked back his own tears.

"I'll talk to him, don't worry Isadora, he'll be fine, I promise."

-o-

Morty glanced up as Eusine entered the flat.

"There's some lasagne in the oven if you're hungry," he said hollowly, as he flicked mindlessly through the television channels.

"Thanks," Eusine said warily, making his way to the kitchen, "did you have a – er - a good day?"

"Great. You?"

"Fine, thanks."

Eusine cursed himself inwardly as the conversation ran dry, _again_. He sat at the table and ate his dinner in silence, wondering how best to get his friend to talk.

"I'm going to bed. Night," Morty said, getting up from the sofa.

"Morty," Eusine began awkwardly, "can I talk to you?"

"About?"

"Don't act like you don't know! You need to talk about this, you need to get it off your chest!"

Morty pressed his fingers into his temples and closed his eyes.

"There's really nothing to talk about Eusine, I wish you'd just drop it."

"Just talk to her Morty! Write her a letter! Hear her side of the story!"

"I wrote her another letter," Morty hissed, moving closer to his friend and meeting his eyes with his own cold ones for the first time in days, "the night we were at Damien's I wrote to her again. I told her I knew, I asked her to reply and she fucking hasn't. I don't need to talk to her, or about her. Okay? I'm done."

"You're hurting," Eusine insisted, "why else would you be so –"

"OF COURSE IT FUCKING HURTS!" Morty roared, causing Eusine to jump backwards in alarm, "she told me she _loved_ me!" he laughed mirthlessly, "and I was fool enough to take her seriously!"

"But surely she -"

"WHAT DO YOU KNOW, EUSINE? YOU NEVER EVEN MET HER!" Morty was past breaking point. All of his hurt, anger and confusion escaped him in a rush directed at his best friend.

Eusine nodded slightly pathetically.

"Sorry, Morty. I just…I just don't like seeing you like this."

Morty did not answer. Making his way to his room he slammed the door and did not emerge for the rest of the evening.

-o-

Tripp was breathing heavily, his forehead damp with sweat. They each had one Pokémon left – Chimecho versus Houndoom. Tripp was aware that here he had the type advantage, but he wasn't about to let his guard down. Despite appearances, Rowland was highly skilled, and it had taken everything that Tripp had to remain in with a chance of winning.

"Nothing like a real challenge," Rowland grinned, mopping his own forehead with a pocket handkerchief, "but here's where we're_ really_ going to test you. Use Psychic Chimecho!"

"Dodge Houndoom!" Tripp called out in alarm; he had come to realise that this was the strongest Psychic type attack and letting Houndoom get hit early would prove very detrimental, "Now use Crunch!"

The attack hit, but despite being super effective, Chimecho returned to battle looking as sprightly as ever. It was highly trained.

"Hypnosis!" Rowland ordered, but Houndoom deflected the waves with a well-placed Fire Spin. Again and again the two Pokémon clashed, neither able to gain the upper hand.

"Use Psybeam, Chimecho!"

Houndoom was hit, but not badly hurt, as appeared to be this battle's trend.

"Hypnosis now! Quickly!"

Before Tripp had time to order a new assault, Houndoom had hit the Gym floor, his breathing heavy in sleep.

"Rest Chimecho!"

Tripp closed his eyes in horror as the Psychic Pokémon managed to regain all of its health in the time that Houndoom spent slumbering upon the floor. All of a sudden, however, Houndoom woke and sprung to his feet, his hackles raised menacingly.

"Use Flamethrower!" Tripp yelled quickly, desperate to make a mark on his opponent, but the fire that came from Houndoom's open jaws was no ordinary Flamethrower; the flames were twice as bold and twice as hot and, rather than coming out in a single stream, they formed themselves into a giant star, engulfing the Chimecho fully. With a small shriek, the wind chime Pokémon fainted suddenly. Wide eyed, Rowland returned his prize Pokémon to its Pokéball, his ginger hair slightly singed from the heat of Houndoom's attack.

"Bless my soul, you really beat us," he finally said in astonishment.

Tripp grinned, his shock finally having been replaced by elation.

"I was pretty sure I'd lost that one…" he said, still slightly confused by the intensity of his Pokémon's attack.

"I feel that you would have done, had Houndoom not just learnt how to use Fire Blast."

"That was Fire Blast?" Tripp asked, his eyes wide with excitement. Rowland nodded.

"Fire Blast is distinguishable by its star shaped flame. As far as I am aware it is the strongest Fire type attack. So, congratulations," the older man grinned, handing Tripp a square badge that shimmered jet black with little gold flecks reflecting in the light overhead.

-o-

It took Tripp roughly half an hour sitting at the side of the Gym and gulping at his water bottle before he was physically able to hit the shops after his exhausting battle. The following day was Rose's seventeenth birthday and he and Jay had agreed to take a little time today to buy their separate presents.

Borage City boasted lots of quirky little independent shops, bursting with jewellery, scented candles, spun glass ornaments and vintage clothing. Tripp wanted to buy her something really special. He had a plan that meant he should be able to buy her a few things…

"How much for this?" he asked the shop assistant, handing over the Experience Point Leveller that Amy had bought him for his own seventeenth birthday. The gadget not only held uncomfortable memories, he had also never used it. Despite his initial excitement, the piece had turned out to be an unnecessary extravagance: as a skilled trainer Tripp found that he did not need it at all.

The shop assistant examined it closely, his eyes widening.

"Such an expensive item, and in perfect condition…will you accept two hundred Pokéloans?"

Tripp was relatively happy as he exited the shop, the money safely in his wallet. He did not feel guilty using Amy's money to buy Rose a present. If it hadn't been for Amy, Tripp would not feel so desperate to prove himself to Rose once more. He entered a jewellery shop, not particularly expecting to find anything straight away, when his eye was caught by a large and fascinating stone, hanging on a fine, gold chain. The stone itself was a rich, deep brown and running through the centre of it, like a vertical pupil, was a light, bright golden line.

"That's Cat's Eye," the shopkeeper smiled, catching sight of Tripp's stare, "a rare and most beautiful stone, hung on a chain of pure gold."

Tripp couldn't exactly pinpoint why, but this stone made him think of Rose's eyes.

"How much is it?" he whispered, unable to take his own eyes from the necklace.

"One hundred and eighty Pokéloans."

Tripp left the shop with his wallet feeling considerably lighter, as well as his heart. He had found the perfect present, he was sure of it, and he even had money left over to buy her a nice birthday cake.

He found Rose and Jay back at their camp, which they had set up next to a cascade of crumbling, pale brown boulders. Jay was checking the mineral levels and magnetism of the rocks and Rose, to nobody's surprise, had her nose buried in the book on rocks.

"Tripp!" Jay exclaimed upon spotting him, wiping his dusty hands on his jeans, "did you do it?"

Rose looked up from her book with interest.

"It was bloody hard work, but I managed it," he grinned.

Jay shouted out in delight and even Rose cracked a genuine smile.

"Well done," she said quietly, "we heard people in the Lodge talking about how tough Rowland is, you must be proud."

"I am," he smiled, searching her eyes with his. He desperately wanted to know why she had seemingly given up her own journey.

"Well, I need to grab some things in town," Jay said, winking at Tripp, who patted his own jacket pocket with a satisfied nod, "I'll be back before dinner."

After Jay had left, Tripp settled himself on the ground next to Rose. She looked up at him to see that he looked completely content. His eyes were closed and his mouth was upturned in a small smile. He felt her eyes on him and cracked his open.

"All right, Ro?"

She nodded quickly, determined not to start thinking about how she was feeling.

"One more badge," she said softly, "and then you can challenge the League…"

"Why have you stopped?" he asked her baldly. She could not avoid his question, nor could she avoid looking into his piercing blue eyes. She was slightly shocked to see the concern in them.

"I just don't want to do it anymore," she whispered, feeling the tears form in the corners of her own eyes.

Tripp stared across at her, at a loss for words. Jay had been saying it, but he had never seen Rose cry, not really, not so openly. And she was making no attempt to stop the flow of tears coursing down her pale cheeks.

He wiped her tears away with the back of his hand, and she closed her eyes in anguish as the motion reminded her unbearably of someone else. But he did not want her anymore. If he really loved her, he never would have put such harsh words into his letter. More tears streamed down her cheeks. She couldn't turn off her own feelings, but how she wished she could…

She let her face relax against Tripp's hand, unable to stop herself wishing that they were other, warmer hands, slightly rougher against her face. But there was no point in wishing. What was done was done: Rose had learnt that lesson if nothing else. She opened her eyes to see Tripp staring back at her, his brow creased in worry, but his blue eyes soft with emotion. She held his gaze for a moment, but did not move backwards when he moved towards her, and did not recoil when his lips brushed hers. She could not help another bout of tears streaming down her face at this unusual feeling; it was sharp, it was raw, it was compulsive, but it was lacking in warmth, and it felt so unbelievably wrong.

-o-

"Where's Rose?" Jay asked as he wandered back into their small camp.

"She's sleeping," Tripp smiled, gesturing towards her tent.

"Sleeping? At six o'clock? What about dinner?"

Tripp shrugged.

"She said she wasn't feeling well, and that she wanted to rest."

Jay surveyed his friend for a moment, his grey eyes narrowed.

"What're you looking so happy about?"

Tripp glanced over towards Rose's tent but decided he didn't want to risk it. Standing up, he walked up to Jay and began to whisper in his ear.

"You're not serious?!" Jay asked quietly, his eyes lit up with excitement. Tripp nodded happily.

"Completely serious, she kissed me back, she was clinging on for dear life!" he couldn't help but grin.

"So…is she better now?"

"Well, she was crying for most of it," Tripp scratched at his head, "but I'm sure she'll be fine when she wakes up?"

Jay remained silent. This supposedly confirmed his theory…she must like Tripp. But why was she in bed? He began to worry then. If this sickness went on much longer he was going to have to confront her about it. She couldn't be on the road if she was seriously ill.

"So what's the plan for tomorrow?" Jay finally asked.

"Well, eggs on toast is her favourite breakfast," Tripp smiled, "so I've got that all ready to go. I also bought her a coffee cake in town this afternoon, and I reckon it'd be nice to go somewhere fancy for dinner in the evening."

"Sounds good!" Jay remarked happily, "what present did you get her?"

Tripp's eyes lit up with excitement as he pulled the small package out from his jacket pocket and opened it carefully.

"Cat's Eye, what do you reckon?"

Jay could only blink.

"That can't've been cheap…but it's really amazing, I bet she'll love it."

Tripp smiled happily as he stowed the present back in his pocket.

"What did you get?"

"It's going to look pretty crap next to your present," Jay laughed, "but I found this in a really cool, old bookshop."

From out of a small paper bag he brought an extremely old looking book, bound in cracked blue leather.

"What's that?"

"It's a book on ancient medicinal remedies for Pokémon…I'm not sure how relevant it is, but I thought she'd like it anyway."

"She'll love it!" Tripp grinned, smacking Jay on the back, "nice work!"

They boys sat happily by the fire for a while, protected from the bitter winds by the boulders, and pleased with their day's efforts.

"You hungry?" Tripp asked.

"Starving," Jay nodded, as he rolled up his sleeves to help Tripp prepare the dinner.

-o-

The Elder of Blackthorn City took a deep, steadying breath as he finally reached the hidden entrance to the Dark Cave. The stone doorway was concealed: it was impossible to locate it if you were unsure of its whereabouts.

"Come out Salamence," the old man ordered. The enormous Dragon erupted from its Pokéball and stared at its master through topaz yellow eyes.

"You know what to do," the Elder said quietly in the ancient language.

Turning to face the concealed doorway, Salamence spat a jet of blue Dragon fire, and man and Pokémon stood back to watch as the blue flame illuminated a previously hidden outline in the rock, before the stone melted away completely. The Elder returned Salamence to its Pokéball and stepped over the threshold for the first time in over thirty years. Behind him, the entrance resealed itself.

He could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end as he stood there in the close blackness. This secret passage in the Dark Cave was brimming with the ghostly echoes of ancient, Blackthorn Magic. Witchcraft, many had called it, like those from Ecruteak City who feared the seemingly unnatural blue flames. The Elder walked unhurriedly through the pitch black passageway. He did not need a light; his senses, and his heritage, enabled him to tread the correct path. When he reached what appeared to be a dead end, he whispered into the darkness before him.

"_Melaspinarm._"

Like with the previous doorway, a light appeared, seemingly from nowhere, illuminating a thin, golden archway, which dissolved to reveal a stone chamber. The temperature decreased slightly as the Elder stepped down into it, and the doorway behind him resealed itself once again, like the one before it.

_The child, cursed by Chaos, will reach out to affirm their destiny_, he thought to himself, _and three times lightening will strike the ancient stronghold of Blackthorn_.

The old man continued to muse over the details as he navigated his way ever deeper into the cave.

_Chaos's dread power will manifest inside His chosen child, and creatures of Chaos will be drawn to them, drawn to the power of the stone, the embodiment of Chaos himself._

It had always galled the Elder that Dragon Type Pokémon were named 'creatures of Chaos'. As a young man he believed the legend to be nothing more than a fanciful story, but recent events had forced him to abandon his hopes and face reality.

_The world will burn in a frenzy of azure flame, Chaos reigning, darkness spreading._

Dragon fire. So hot, the pain was said to be akin to freezing. The Elder did not know. He was a Dragon Tamer, they had never harmed him.

_The great powers of Ecruteak and Blackthorn will be the last to fall, gazing upon the ruins of their world, of Chaos's dream realm._

The Elder gave a small snort. Ecruteak was no longer a 'great power', that was certain, but that didn't appear to be stopping the legend from coming true…

It took a great many hours for the old Dragon Tamer to finally reach the central Chamber. It was in this stone hall that he would finally know the truth; the truth about the legend, the truth about Pascalia - everything. Taking a deep breath, and shielding his hazel eyes from the blue light he knew would not come, he opened the final chamber, and swallowed hard as he was proved right.

Up until this moment he had thought only of the first half of the legend. Yet standing in the stone hall, devoid of any blue light, he realised that now everything rested on the second half of the legend, and perhaps even on the other part, the guarded part which nobody but he knew of…

**AN:**

**Thank you for all of your reviews for the previous chapter! (: I hope you enjoyed this one – I'd love to hear your thoughts either way (:**

**Lots of love,**

**A xx**


	29. Chapter 29

Rose awoke on her seventeenth birthday feeling strangely hollow. She stretched slightly in her sleeping bag before the all too familiar morning rush of realisation hit her. She unzipped her tent in haste and vomited violently outside it, her throat burning, her eyes streaming, and a sob in her throat. Every morning she enjoyed a mere instant of blissful oblivion before she remembered her situation; her stomach would roll and she would heave as everything came flooding back.

She sighed heavily as she wiped her mouth with her sleeve and brushed away her tears.

_Happy Birthday to me_, she thought sullenly, before her heart began to beat slightly faster in hope. It _was_ her birthday after all, and she was certain he knew it. He wouldn't ignore it… would he?

"Happy birthday!" Jay called merrily, shooting her a knowing look as he crawled out of his tent, "still feeling ill?"

Rose was spared answering by Tripp emerging from his own tent.

"Ro! Happy birthday!" he beamed, putting an arm around her waist and kissing her on top of the head. Rose felt herself seize up slightly.

"Thanks guys," she smiled weakly, watching them in confusion as they started bustling around and organising things. In next to no time Houndoom had lit a fire, Tripp was cracking eggs into the frying pan, and Jay had wandered into town to grab a takeaway tea for them all.

"Your favourite breakfast," Tripp smiled, glancing up at her from where he was working, "how many eggs to you want?"

Rose certainly did not feel like eating, but she felt she couldn't say no after all the effort they'd gone to.

"Just one, thanks."

Tripp rolled his eyes but did not question her. Rose sat quietly next to him, staring into the flames of their camp fire.

"Was there anything in particular you wanted to do today?" Tripp asked, holding his hands over the dancing flames and rubbing them together in order to generate some warmth.

"No, not really," Rose said quietly. She stiffened when she felt his hand upon the small of her back, "I think Jay needs to take more readings today anyway," she said, her voice slightly higher pitched than usual.

Tripp removed his hand in shock.

"He's not doing that _today_! It's your birthday!"

"I wouldn't mind," Rose mumbled; the sooner this journey was over, the better in her opinion. She didn't have any idea what the end of the journey would bring, but she knew it had to be better than this constant pretending and pointless thinking.

"Jay!" Tripp called to his blond friend, who was approaching them with the drinks, "she reckons she wants to carry on the experiment today…on her _birthday_."

"Don't be so boring Rose," Jay laughed, handing her a cup of cup of tea and accepting a plate of eggs from Tripp, "we're going to have a nice relaxing day and we're also taking you out to dinner."

Rose gave a pained smile. She could think of nothing worse than having all the attention on her today when she wanted nothing more than to fade miserably into the background.

_Ungrateful_, her subconscious probed. Rose nodded to herself. She _was_ being ungrateful; they were just trying to make her birthday special after all.

"Where're we going for dinner?" she asked, taking a bite of toast and egg.

"We thought you'd like to choose!" Jay said happily.

Rose smiled genuinely this time. Didn't she deserve a nice birthday like anyone else? She could forget Morty for one day…surely?

-o-

Morty couldn't help but feel ashamed of himself the following morning. He lay staring at his bedroom ceiling feeling worse and worse about his loss of temper the previous night. He slowly opened his bedroom door and saw Eusine fast asleep on the sofa, his mouth slightly open. Feeling even guiltier now, Morty crept into the kitchen and set to making breakfast quietly.

"Eusine?" he whispered, prodding his friend on the shoulder.

Eusine's eyes cracked open and he peered up at Morty's apologetic face.

"I…I made you breakfast…if you fancy it?"

Eusine sat up and smiled as he looked over at the table which was groaning with fresh pancakes, bacon and a Berry fruit salad.

"You didn't have to do this Morty."

Morty took a deep breath.

"Yes, I did, and I'll do more. I'm really sorry about last night…about all of last week really. I must've been rotten to live with."

Eusine pulled Morty into a bear hug and slapped him on the back.

"You don't have to apologise, seriously, I just hate seeing you upset."

Morty smiled thankfully.

"Well thank you then, if you won't accept my apology," he said gruffly, "I may not have acted it, but I've really appreciated having you here through all this."

Eusine sat down at the table and helped himself to breakfast before he responded.

"I still think we should talk about it," he said warily, unsure if Morty was still likely to fly off the handle. To his surprise, Morty merely nodded.

"I've been thinking about it, and you're right. Damien_ is_ a twat, always has been, and he said…" Morty took a deep breath, "remember what he said? That when he 'finally got her into his bed all she did was cry herself to sleep'?"

"Taking Jack's words into account too, I'm inclined to think that Rose isn't necessarily guilty here…a little heedless maybe? But not guilty."

Morty looked up at Eusine with many questions in his eyes.

"Why_ are_ you so convinced of her innocence?" he asked quietly, "you don't even know her."

Eusine considered his question before answering.

"It's a couple of things really," he said thoughtfully, "firstly, I consider you very clever, and I don't think you could believe that someone loved you if they didn't."

Morty considered this.

"Secondly," he went on, "from everything that Jack, Will, and Damien said, it pretty much sounds like she was deliberately made drunk and, well…we've both been drunk, you know how it goes. I'm not excusing her actions but, when depressed, alcohol can hit you a lot more quickly. If she loves you, I'm pretty sure she would have been mightily depressed about leaving, and therefore easier to…sway?" Eusine glanced over at Morty to see him chewing on his lower lip.

"And finally, I just sort of 'feel' it, y'know? It also makes more sense that if she _did_ love you she wouldn't feel able to respond to your letter. If she wanted out, surely she'd just say it? It'd be quicker as well as easier…what are you thinking?"

"I want to believe you," Morty said quietly, "and what you're saying makes sense…I just…I don't know what I should do anymore."

"It's funny, you also said you 'knew' something was wrong with her…well I think you were right. She's probably feeling horrendous…imagine it was the other way around? Imagine Miki had cornered you and kissed you, and you'd been too drunk to prise her off? It's possible, I mean, Damien is a pretty big bloke…and you yourself said Rose was little?"

Morty's skin tinged green. The thought of anyone else touching Rose was enough to infuriate him, but the thought of it happening against her will made the bile rise up into his throat.

"Eusine…that last letter I wrote, it…it wasn't the kindest."

Eusine looked at him pityingly.

"Well you'll have to write to her again, isn't it her birthday soon? Maybe you can send her a present too?"

"It's today," Morty said quietly, "and I don't think this can really be said in a letter…Eusine, what if she won't forgive me?" he asked, his eyes tight with pain.

"I hate to say it Morty but, if anything, she should be worried about you forgiving _her_."

Morty gave a small smile and sighed; he felt he knew all along that it wasn't _really_ her fault; the fact that he didn't feel angry anymore was certainly something to go on. He still wanted to talk to her, but he was growing more and more certain of what had really happened at that party. If only she hadn't needed to have left…

"I'm going tomorrow. To see her," he said resolutely.

"Yes Morty!" Eusine beamed, "that's the spirit!"

"I can't let this fester – if she thinks I hate her…well she's wrong for a start, and I won't have her hurting over me, I'm not worth that."

"Ah Morty," Eusine sighed genuinely with a smile, "you're worth a lot more than you give yourself credit for."

Morty threw Eusine a bemused look, but he couldn't help but feel warm inside.

-o-

"Tripp…I can't accept this," Rose blushed over dinner. She was furious with herself; a gift like this necklace? It was beautiful, it was expensive, and it had an undeniable element of possessiveness to it. Why, why, _why_ had she kissed him back?

"Of course you can!" he said cheerfully, putting down his fork and taking the necklace from her, "Turn around," he said, smiling.

Rose obliged and closed her eyes in defeat as she felt Tripp fix the clasp around her neck. It could not have weighed more if it had been made of rocks.

"It looks lovely Rose," Jay smiled.

Rose smiled back at them both, her eyes downcast. They had made sure to make her day special. They had both given her beautiful gifts, had gotten a cake, made her breakfast, taken her to dinner…it was thoughtful but, as much as she despised herself for thinking it, it wasn't what she wanted.

"I'm going to the loo," she muttered as she hurriedly left her seat.

"D'you think she liked it?" Tripp asked, smiling: he was pretty sure he knew the answer.

"Judging by the fact her eyes popped out of her head I can safely say you've struck gold," Jay laughed, taking a sip of his juice.

Tripp leaned back happily in his chair. They had had a good day. Rose had seemed to enjoy herself anyway. Jay was also happy with her reaction to his own gift. She had exclaimed over the book rapturously and had flicked through it for a good ten minutes. Of course, he hadn't expected her to be as emotional over his gift as she had been over Tripp's, but he was happy she liked it nonetheless.

In the ladies' bathroom, Rose leaned over the sink, her chest heaving and tears leaking profusely from her tightly closed eyes. Again, this was all her own fault. She had been so self-centred the last week that she hadn't thought about how she might be coming across to Jay and Tripp. She had felt wretched after Morty's second letter, so wretched she heaved every morning when she remembered it. She had felt lost, lonely; she wanted to be held, to feel wanted. Tripp was there at the right time – she did not like him in that way, how could she? Rose had been so consumed by Johto, by everything that had happened both there and when she left, that she had all but forgotten her desperate reasons for wanting to leave in the first place…

Fury tore at her chest as she considered Tripp: he had been so rude and callous to her when they were first at the Laboratory, he had deliberately shunned her in preference for Amy, a girl he barely knew, and had then slept with her to add to it all. Somehow, he had happily let himself forget all of this – he clearly felt no remorse whatsoever, blaming alcohol for his 'bad' decisions, and he obviously believed her to be spineless enough to have also let it go.

It was funny, how one experience, how one person could make you grow up. It wasn't necessary for life to be filled with mind games, hurting someone to make a point, only feeling more miserable at the end of it. This was childish, pointless, and effectively only detrimental. What really mattered was finding someone you didn't want to hurt, someone you could know so warmly, and so intimately that you never had to worry about what they were feeling…_wonder_, maybe…for where was the fun in someone predictable?

Rose splashed her face with cold water, and smiled grimly at her reflection. Her eyes were alive, snapping, furious, and yet finally understanding. The bigger a deal that was made of something, the bigger deal it would inevitably become. Rose knew what she needed to do, she knew what she wanted. It wouldn't be easy, and parts of it were bound to be unpleasant, but the decisions were hers and she would go through with them. She was leaving Sesame.

"You okay? You took your time," Jay smiled as she approached the table.

"You both finished?" she asked, making no move to sit down.

"Er, yeah?" Tripp said, shooting Jay a wary look.

"Well let's get going," Rose said briskly, "we're finished here really – Jay, do you need more readings?"

The two boys merely gaped at her. She was speaking far more quickly than she had been of late and she looked more…alive somehow.

"Um…I dunno, I could do?"

"I think we should get moving tonight, I'd like to be at Dill Town by tomorrow."

"But Rose…it's your birthday, we're in no real hurry are we?" Tripp stammered, very thrown by her change in attitude.

"It's just another day," Rose said shrugging, "I want to get on with this."

"But why?" Tripp asked, staring at her beseechingly, and Jay said:

"And I _should _really take the readings – I can't enter them falsely twice!"

Rose crossed her arms, annoyed.

"Fine," she said, "Jay, you'll take them tonight so we can get going in the morning."

"And…you're not going to challenge the Gym?" Tripp asked, his eyebrows raised.

"No, I'm not."

-o-

"Rose," Tripp whispered as she made to get into her tent: Jay was already in his.

"Yes?"

He moved towards her so they were barely a few inches apart. She stared calmly into his eyes, wondering what on earth he was expecting. He leaned forward slightly, his eyes closing.

"No, Tripp," Rose said, her voice level, her finger on his lips, "just…no."

"No?"

"Now's not the time," she lied, hating herself.

"What do you mean?"

"We have a lot on, things that need to get done…we need this experiment finished."

"We do?"

"Yes."

Tripp merely stared at her blankly.

"It'll be better for all of us the sooner this is done," she smiled, before getting into her tent and zipping it up, smiling at Tripp again as she did so to soften to potential harshness in her words.

As soon as she was shielded from view, she hugged her knees to her chest and took in long, shuddering breaths. She had woken up, finally, only to see what a mess she'd made behind her. She had been so blind, so stupid! She rummaged in her rucksack, wondering why she only now had the sense to do this. Poising the pen above the paper she paused only for a second, before she began to write.

-o-

"Morty?" Eusine called, knocking on his bedroom door, "you awake?"

No answer. Eusine frowned and knocked a little more loudly.

"Morty – you need to leave soon!"

Still no answer. Pushing the door open slightly, Eusine peeked his head around the frame. Morty was sleeping, but the slumber did not appear restful. His cheeks were stained with an unnaturally high blush and his hair was sticking to his clammy forehead. His bedsheets were tangled around his thighs and his arms thrashed weakly by his sides.

Eusine rushed over and felt his temperature – he was boiling hot. He pulled back the bedcovers and swore under his breath, for Morty was wearing full length pyjamas.

"Morty!" he said, "wake up, come on, you're having a bad dream!"

But Morty's eyes remained seemingly closed. Upon closer inspection, however, Eusine could see that his eyes were in fact marginally open, his violet irises just discernible through his dark eyelashes.

"Morty?" he repeated, his voice slightly high in panic, "Morty can you hear me? Blink if you can hear me."

His eyes slid closed once and opened again.

"Right, fuck, well…"

Knowing that now was not the time to worry about being a pervert, Eusine pulled Morty's bottoms off and rolled his eyes in relief when he registered he was wearing underpants. He attempted to lift the long sleeved pyjama top over his friend's sweaty torso but, Morty being a dead weight, it was impossible to pull the top off. But, if anything, Morty's fever seemed to be getting worse and Eusine knew he had no choice. Running to the kitchen he grabbed a pair of scissors and proceeded to cut the top up the centre, until he was able to peel it off Morty's chest. Even in his worried state he could not help but laugh at Morty's perfectly toned chest, stomach and arms.

"Never do anything by halves, do you buddy?" he muttered under his breath, as he set to opening the windows in the stuffy room. Morty still did not seem any closer to rousing even after he tried to encourage him to drink some water, and even after he flicked him with some from the glass.

Feeling his heart thudding uncomfortably in his throat, Eusine stared down at his friend and made to leave the room. Like lightening, Morty's hand lashed out and grabbed Eusine by his jumper. His lips moved, but no sound came from them.

"What's that Morty?" Eusine asked clearly and loudly, he didn't want to admit it, but he was growing rather frightened.

"No…doctor."

"Your mother then! I'm calling your mother!"

Morty managed to shake his head.

"Not…ill."

"Don't be absurd!" Eusine squeaked, "Look at you!"

"Not…ill," he repeated, "clair…"

"Clair?! Of Blackthorn? You want Clair?!"

Morty squeezed his eyes tightly shut and Eusine could sense his frustration.

"Clair…voy…_vision_…"

"This is your clairvoyance?" Eusine whispered, his face draining of blood. Morty with a raging fever was scary enough, Morty incoherent and rasping from a 'gift' that nobody could understand was a whole new level of terrifying.

"Yes," he whispered, his dry lips trembling.

"What can I do?" Eusine whispered, fear causing beads of perspiration to appear on both his face and neck.

"Stay with me," Morty said, his voice its strongest yet.

Eusine nodded, his lips pressed tightly together, and Morty's hot hand clenched in his own, cool one.

-o-

Eusine sat with Morty, against his better judgement, all morning and afternoon. To his giddying relief, Morty's temperature began to slowly subside around midday and, by four o'clock, he at last seemed to be breathing and sleeping normally.

Eusine felt exhausted, and let his head fall down onto the mattress, which he was sitting beside on a hard, dining room chair.

"Hey."

His head shot up and he nearly cried with relief.

"Morty!" he croaked, "sweet heavens! You're awake! Are you okay? What the hell is going on?!"

Morty closed his eyes once more and exhaled shallowly.

"I'm…not entirely sure," he said, his voice very weak.

"Let me get the doctor –"

"I don't need a doctor."

"Well you parents! They'd want –"

"Please don't call them, Eusine," Morty croaked, his eyes still shut.

"But –"

"There's no need to be frightened," Morty whispered, his eyes open a fraction.

Eusine managed to nod jerkily; denying his fear seemed juvenile.

"It was different," Morty continued, attempting to wet his dry lips with his tongue.

"Here, have some water –"

"For the first time ever it was_ different_."

Eusine stopped trying to force Morty to drink and stared at him.

"The vision?"

Morty nodded.

"What…what did you see?"

Morty took a deep breath, as though gathering his remaining energy.

"Blackness…as usual, but then…_blue_ flames this time…darkness again, such deep, black darkness, and then…and then the same yellow-orange flames, brighter than ever…"

Eusine felt his mouth fall open but made no attempt to close it.

"What does it mean?"

"No idea…" Morty sighed.

"But why are you so ill?" Eusine whispered.

Morty managed to shrug.

"Won't you please let me call someone?"

Morty shook his head, more forcefully this time.

"I'm better now, I just need you to stay."

"Okay," Eusine whispered. Better or not, he had never seen another person in such a deplorable state.

-o-

Rose awoke suddenly the following morning, and the murky shadows outside her tent told her that dawn had not quite yet broken. Her mind began racing as she considered her action plan from the previous night, but she wasn't as strong as she once was. The words of Morty's last letter began to reverberate in her mind, and suddenly it was all too much. Stomach churning and heaving once again, Rose only just managed to crawl outside her tent before she was horribly sick at the side of it. This could be over soon, this horrific uncertainty, all she needed to do was send that letter – and either way she would have an answer. As she pulled herself into a sitting position, she realised she was being watched. She turned suddenly to see Jay surveying her, one eyebrow raised.

"Come on Rose, this is getting silly," he smiled sadly, "I think you should see a doctor."

"I'm not ill," she said grouchily, furious once again for being caught out.

"Well unless you're preggers, I'd say being sick every day is a sure sign you're not well," he laughed quietly.

Rose opened her mouth to retort before snapping it shut, her face rapidly draining of all colour. She could feel her breathing coming hard and fast as she stared at Jay who was looking at her in bewilderment, before his grey eyes too widened in shock as realisation hit.

"Rose?" he asked, his voice strangled; his stomach felt as though it were falling into his feet.

Rose did not answer, but continued to gape silently at him.

"Rose…what -?" he could not continue. He stared back at her ashen face before standing and moving towards her. Grabbing her by the arm he pulled her away from their camp, off the road and into a thicket of trees and bushes.

"You're going to talk to me, and you're going to do it now."

Rose still couldn't bring herself to say a word.

"You can't be pregnant!" Jay half laughed; the idea was ludicrous, "you just can't…"

Rose began to chew on her bottom lip, her brown eyes darting from left to right.

"Tripp…what about Tripp? It wasn't…it's not _him_?"

Rose shook her head from side to side, the action very small and brisk.

"God help me Rose!" Jay exclaimed, his grey eyes popping and his hands tugging at his short blond hair, "you said you weren't raped?!"

"I wasn't," she whispered.

"Then wha-?"

"There's a reason I've been keeping quiet about this," she said, gazing into his eyes earnestly, "you've no idea…_no_ idea how I've been feeling…"

"What's happened Rose?" Jay asked loudly, his fear bubbling in his stomach.

"Please, _please_ be quiet," Rose stammered, glancing over to their tents a good fifty meters away, "in Johto, I…" she took a deep breath, "I met someone."

"Right…" Jay said slowly, waiting for the elaboration. She couldn't have done _that_…it just wasn't possible…

"And, well…" she began to wring her hands together as she considered Jay's previous flippant words, those flippant words she had never even _considered_…

"Rose, you didn't _sleep_ with anyone," Jay said. This was a statement, not a question.

She looked up at him, her bright brown eyes looking into his imploringly, begging him to understand.

"Who did this to you?" Jay asked, a quiet fury in his voice.

Rose frowned at the implication: he made it sound dirty…wrong.

"It's not like that, Jay," she whispered.

"_Who_, Rose?"

"His name's Morty," she said softly, staring down at the ground. She glanced up when Jay did not reply. He was looking at her in horror.

"Morty?!" he repeated, aghast.

"What?" she asked, confused, "how do you know him?"

Jay pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Morty…the Gym Leader?"

The name wasn't common after all.

"Y-yes," Rose said in complete shock.

"And how old is he, Rose?! What the hell were you thinking?! What the hell was _he _thinking?!"

"How do you even know him?" she asked, still in shock.

Jay snorted.

"He's a Gym Leader! He's not exactly low profile! 'How do I know him?'!" Jay scoffed.

Rose could feel her fury building.

"_What_ do you know, Jay? So you know his age and his name! You make it sound disgusting!"

"Well what was it?!" he snarled, "What is he Rose? Five years older than you? And you_ slept_ with him?!"

"Four years," she said, her lip trembling. She couldn't understand Jay's reaction, why he was acting so sickened.

"I cannot believe you did this!" he groaned, "and _him_! How could he?! You didn't even_ know_ him!"

"Be careful what you say, Jay," Rose spat, squaring up to him, "you don't understand –"

"Ha!" he laughed incredulously, "_I_ don't understand?! I'm sure I understand better than you think – did he 'love' you Rose?" he asked sarcastically.

Rose stared at her friend in horror, her mouth slightly open. Jay snorted in disgust.

"You know," he said, pacing, "I never thought you'd be the type to fall for that shit."

"You don't know a thing, Jay," she said coldly, staring at him in fury.

"I think I know more than you do – so what now? Is that it? Is this why you've been crying? Have you realised what a stupid little idiot you've been?"

Jay recoiled as Rose slapped him stingingly across the face.

"Fuck you," she said, her voice trembling.

Jay sighed then, his anger at her diminishing rapidly. She was young, and vulnerable, and pregnant. Rose sank to the ground, crying weakly into her hands.

"Rose," he said in anguish, his cheek stinging, "please, I didn't mean to be so harsh."

She glared up at him disbelievingly until she saw the tears in own his eyes.

"I've been so freaking worried about you, I really have…it's just…this is so much worse than I could have imagined…" he sat down next to her, "I'm scared for you, and I'm furious that he -"

"Jay, please," she interrupted, tears cascading down her face, "_please_ don't talk about him like that."

"But –"

"You don't know anything Jay, _anything_ about what happened."

"So tell me," he whispered, taking her cold hand in his.

"I love him"

Jay took in a deep breath but refrained from saying anything.

"And he loves me too…well…he did…"

"He did?! So he fell in and out of love with you in a week? Is _that_ what he told you?" Jay snarled.

"Either listen to me or shut the fuck up," Rose seethed, wrenching her hand from his.

"I'm sorry," he said, gritting his teeth and trying to calm his breathing.

"I'm not a…fluffy person," she began, "and I went to Johto with the idea of getting everything to do with Tripp out of my head."

"So Morty's a rebound?"

Jay was silenced by Rose's glare.

"I met him on the ferry," she continued, ignoring Jay's stupid question, "and we became friends. He gave me a lift to Azalea Town which is next to Ecruteak, where he lives…" she took a deep shuddering breath as the memories washed over her, "we went to lunch and…he kissed me. He didn't know I was sixteen, he saw us on T.V, assumed we were older than we are…"

Jay was still glaring at her with narrowed eyes.

"I've never felt anything like it, Jay, it terrified me."

"Why?"

"Because…" she desperately searched for the words with which to explain herself, "because he unlocked this well of feeling that I didn't even know existed in me," she whispered, her eyes far away, "it was though for the first time ever I felt whole."

Jay raised his eyebrows insolently.

"I know how it sounds," she sighed, "and whether you believe me or not, it's true. He felt the same, it was…it was like nothing I ever thought I _could_ experience…"

"And he 'felt the same'?" Jay asked disbelievingly. He felt as though she had gone mad; how could _Rose_ be saying these things? It was as though Tripp had expressed a desire to become a ballerina.

"I can't explain it to you Jay, and I'm not going to try…I can't even explain it to _myself_…"

"So what happened?"

"Professor Willow called…"

Rose proceeded to explain about the brothers in the woods, leaving Morty for the last time, Damien's party, and Morty's letters.

"…and so now he hates me," she whispered, tears collecting in her eyes.

Despite his antagonistic feelings towards Ecruteak's Gym Leader, Jay could not help but gather Rose in his arms and stroke her hair.

"Oh Rose," he sighed, "you should have said something…to me, to Tripp…" he trailed off and pulled her to face him, his eyes hardening once again, "what the hell is happening with Tripp, Rose?"

She looked up at him and began to chew her lip again.

"I've been…not myself…since I returned…"

"Why weren't you mad at him when you came back?" Jay asked, acknowledging for the first time that Bianca had been right all along.

"To be honest Jay, Tripp was the last thing on my mind."

"So you haven't forgiven him?"

She snorted.

"Tripp's changed; I never would have thought that my friend would have acted like that."

"But you're punishing him for what you yourself did!" Jay yelled.

"_Excuse_ me?"

"You had a go at him, a _massive_ go, because he slept with Amy, and yet you just threw away _your_ first time, and not to mention that you didn't even _know _him –"

Rose slapped him again, her hands shaking.

"Don't even go there, Jay," she said dangerously, "this is nothing, _nothing_ like Tripp and Amy –"

"Sounds pretty fucking similar to me," he snarled, "the only difference being _they_ were clever enough to use protection!"

"It's not the same!" she shouted desperately, "I love him –"

"Oh my Lord, spare me the _bullshit_! You can't love someone after a week!"

"I do!" she screamed, her face streaked with tears, "I love him and –"

"And what about Tripp?" Jay asked, his eyebrows raised in mock concern, "you've been acting _very_ differently towards him the last couple of days…"

"He kissed me," she said quickly, begging him to understand, "I haven't been thinking straight, I kissed him back but I don't like him like that, I was going to tell him…today!"

"Funny Rose, you seem to have picked up a habit of kissing guys you 'don't like', and you know what's even funnier?" she waited, her chest heaving, out of ideas as to how she could possibly convince him, "you always seem to have a nice little excuse lined up, haven't you?"

Jay looked down at her in disgust and waited for her retaliation that didn't come.

"Jay…"

"I can't even look at you right now," he said, his lip curling.

"Jay…please…" she whispered. But he did not hear her. He was already on his way back to the tents.

-o-

It was an unexplainable relief, finally knowing. The Elder smiled to himself as he considered that the unknown is always infinitely worse than the final truth: the uncertainty is bleak, ever-changing, and has a habit of making you fear the worst. The truth may be terrible, but it is final, and with closure comes acceptance.

There was no hope, then, for Pascalia. She had found the stone, she was essentially dead, and he had already experienced his mourning period. Pascalia could not be helped, the human part of her was presumably long dead: she was nothing more now than Chaos's child, Chaos's vessel. It was a strange feeling to be actively planning the demise of his youngest and favourite granddaughter.

_She is not Pascalia anymore._

They must all instead turn their attention to finding the child blessed by Firelight. The Elder could not help but smile at his own pitiful arrogance as he slowly navigated his way back through the Dark Cave. Who was he, to mess with Fate? He had hoped to forever ignore the necessity to find the child blessed by Firelight by ensuring, in vain, that one never became cursed by Chaos. Or had Pascalia always been cursed? Did the taking of the Draco Silicis curse her, or was she cursed from birth? From_ conception_? The legend did not specify. Fate has a sometimes vicious ability to fulfil its own desires and one man, be he from the ancient Blackthorn bloodline or not, cannot hope to thwart it.

Firelight, and Chaos. Ecruteak, and Blackthorn. Was this necessarily the truth of it? The child cursed by Chaos was certainly from Blackthorn, but was Ecruteak the correct place to look for the child the world so desperately sought? The old man frowned to himself as he continued his onward journey in the darkness. The Firelight child must be found, there was no doubt about it. He was certain the child _would_ be found, for Fate decreed the inevitable battle between the light and the darkness. Blue flame; that unnatural light that drew the eye and rendered the surrounding areas black…and orange flame; _natural_ flame, that not only warmed all and gave life, but illuminated the darkness and eliminated fear.

The legend had always been unclear as to who would triumph over the other and the ending of the legend, so vague and contradictory, had long been omitted even by those who believed. The Elder narrowed his cat-like eyes as he considered that end: a Firemoon, purity of heart, and a selfless sacrifice. Would the Firelight child prevail if the end of the legend was ignored? Left misunderstood? One thing was certain, the child needed to be found, and quickly.

**AN:**

**Hello :D Hope you're all doing spiffingly. Thanks for all the reviews last chapter, they made me vair happy and the happier I am the sooner I update ;D**

**Jay is a lovely person but, as with Amy and Tripp, he is very quick to judge. Sometimes he's right, sometimes he isn't. He should handle things in a better way though. Hmm.**

**And Morty…and the Elder…well, I'm sure you can tell me your guesses and speculations!**

**Happy Easter to all! **

**000 - have some virtual eggs.**

**Love A xx**


	30. Chapter 30

As soon as Jay left it seemed to hit her. Pregnant. Seventeen and pregnant. Rose gulped, staring straight ahead but seeing nothing. Seventeen, pregnant, and the father wasn't even speaking to her. Her hands began to shake as she ran them through her hair in an attempt to compose herself, but her breath began to come in sharp bursts. What the hell was she going to do? What the hell had they been _thinking_?! She blushed deeply as she remembered the event, how he had made her feel…they had thought of nothing, except one another, except how close they wanted to become…she frowned to herself. Was it even possible to become pregnant from one time? As much as she wanted to believe it wasn't, she knew that it was. Taking a deep breath to quell her rising panic, she looked down at herself. She was still wearing her pyjamas and her boots were back at her tent…

The pharmacist glanced up as the bell on the door tinkled. Borage City was a relatively quiet one, and she couldn't remember the last time a customer had arrived before half past seven in the morning. The pharmacist's eyes widened as she took in the girl before her. Her long, dark, tangled hair had been bullied into a plait, and she was wearing…pyjamas?! Glancing down the pharmacist couldn't help but goggle at the girl's bare feet. Sensing her stare, the girl gave her a tentative smile before she began to pace the shelves, clearly very desperate to find something.

"Can I help you?" the pharmacist asked. A few minutes had passed and the girl still hadn't found what she was looking for.

Rose looked up at the middle-aged pharmacist and felt her face flame red. Behind the counter, on request, were the pregnancy tests. Rose cleared her throat and decided, for once, to forget her pride. She was already standing in a shop barefoot and in her pyjamas for heaven's sake.

"I…" she cleared her throat, "I need to buy a…a pregnancy test. Please."

The pharmacist's eyebrows shot straight up. This girl could be no more than fifteen from the size of her. That wasn't even legal! Feeling sickened, the pharmacist chose a pregnancy test and dropped it in Rose's outstretched hand. Rose turned, if possible, even redder.

"That's four Pokéloans," she said stiffly.

Rose blanched as she realised, in her panic, she hadn't brought her purse.

"I haven't…I didn't –"

The pharmacist rolled her eyes, feeling repulsed.

"Just take it, take it and get out please. Customers may come in at any minute."

Rose nodded, her eyes filling with tears of humiliation as she left the shop.

-o-

Jay paced around their camp, his head whirring. He could not think of anything Rose could have told him that would have shocked him more. Without thinking he grabbed his mobile and dialled.

"Jay? Are you okay? It's very early," Bianca croaked.

"She's pregnant," he whispered.

There was only silence on the other end.

"Bianca?"

"She's…what?"

"Pregnant," he said through gritted teeth.

"But…Rose is…wait – what? Who - what?! Whose is it?!" she gaped, astonished.

Jay sighed deeply.

"A Gym Leader, from Johto."

"Who?"

"Morty," he snapped. Again there was no answer, "Bianca?"

"The ghost type one? With the earring? And the _hair_?"

"What are you talking about?!" Jay snapped at her giggly attitude.

"Sorry! It's just…he's pretty good…"

"What does it matter how good a trainer he is?!"

Bianca laughed guiltily.

"I meant he's good-looking," she giggled again, "but seriously, Rose?! She's pregnant?! Are you sure? How is she doing?!"

"I don't think she even realised until I_ jokingly_ made a reference to it – she's been getting sick a lot."

"Where is she now?"

"How should I know? I went back to the camp and she didn't!"

"So you just left her?_ Alone_? As soon as she's discovered she's_ pregnant_?!"

"I –"

"Go and find her Jay!" Bianca shrieked, "Bloody hell! Now isn't the time to get high and mighty!"

"But she –"

"She decided to have sex with someone! Big deal! What she needs now is support!"

"But –"

"For God's sake Jay! Think about how shit-scared she must be feeling! The last thing she needs is your snobby arse judging her! Go and help your friend, _now_."

She hung up.

-o-

Eusine started as Morty's bedroom door creaked open.

"Morty! You're feeling better?"

Morty scratched his head as he edged into the living room.

"Yeah…I'm feeling better. Or I do will after a shower," he grinned ruefully.

"No sickness? Dizziness? Has your fever gone?" Eusine asked, leaping up from the sofa to feel Morty's head.

Morty couldn't help but laugh at Eusine's over the top manner.

"I'm okay, really."

"I'd still feel better about telling your parents…"

Morty rolled his eyes.

"You honestly don't know what they're like, _especially _my mother…she's like a dog with a bone."

Eusine turned away to hide his pink cheeks. Isadora had kept her word: Morty had no idea he'd been to see her.

"Okay…if you're sure…"

"I need to pack," Morty yawned, making his way to the cupboard to fetch his rucksack.

"Hey…what? You can't leave now," Eusine frowned.

Morty looked back at him with raised eyebrows.

"We've discussed this…I need to see her. I thought you understood that?"

"I do! But…you were so ill yesterday, I…I think you should take it easy today."

"I'm _fine_."

"Look, Morty, seriously. You scared the hell out of me yesterday –"

"And I'm very grateful that you looked after me, but –"

"Then _please_, in appreciation, just stay here one more day! If you're fine tomorrow I won't stop you – hell! I'll even buy your ticket! Just stay here one more day!"

Morty raised his eyebrows once again, this time in surprise.

"Okay, okay!" he said, dropping his rucksack and raising his hands in mock surrender, "I'll go tomorrow if it means that much to you," he said warily, taking in Eusine's crazed eyes.

"Thank you," his friend breathed.

"And you're not buying my ticket," Morty muttered making his way to the shower.

Eusine grinned.

-o-

The stick was sat on top of the toilet in the cubicle in the Pokémon Centre. Had Rose not been so agitated, she would have been disgusted by the fact that she was barefoot in a public toilet. Three minutes. Time was a crazy thing. Or was the human mind a crazy thing? The concept of measuring time was surely invented so that time could make sense, so it could be monitored. How then, could three minutes feel like three hours? Could time not truly be measured after all?

Rose took a deep breath and leaned against the wall of the cubicle. Her mind was rambling and she knew why. By thinking pointless, answerless thoughts she was spared from facing her potentially terrifying reality. Would she keep it? Would he be interested? She sighed as she recalled his handsome, tanned face, the way his eyes violet eyes would soften as they looked into hers…a lump began to form in her throat and against her will she began to picture a little girl with long, dark curly hair and astonishing violet eyes…

Rose's own, brown eyes snapped open and found the stick on top of the toilet. The three minutes were up. Sinking to her knees, and seeing the truth, Rose began to cry silently into her hands.

-o-

"Cristine?" Candice asked, eyeing her friend warily.

Cristine continued to stare into space, mouthing soundlessly to herself and counting off something on her fingers.

"Hellooo?"

"I need to see Fuego," she said breathily, "come on!"

They hesitated as they reached the doors to his quarters a few minutes later.

"Do we knock?" Candice asked, slightly nervously.

"We always knock," Cristine told her, rolling her eyes slightly as she did so.

"Come in," a deep voice called.

The two ice Pokémon trainers opened the heavy mahogany door and edged inside the Champion's office. He had a leather suitcase open on his desk and appeared to be packing. Cristine couldn't help but blink in surprise – she had never known him to leave.

"Yes?"

Coming to her senses, Cristine moved further into the room, Candice curiously at her heels.

"I've had a…a revelation."

Fuego merely raised his eyebrows.

"It starts with the Dewgong and the Spheal and Shellder."

"Yes?"

"And then, the stealing of Professor Willow's Water Stones."

"How are these linked?"

"The Water Stones will enable Shellder and Spheal to evolve into ice type Pokémon."

Fuego remained silent as he considered this.

"And now the ice…the ridiculous amounts of ice on the face of Dill Rook…what if it's an attempt to break in? What if those men who were trying to catch all the Dewgong are the same ones who stole the Water Stones?"

"This is a very interesting theory, Cristine," Fuego began, "but more important things have been -"

"You know better than anyone which type of Pokémon are in that mountain, and I _know_ that you know about the legend…you're from Blackthorn City," she challenged.

Fuego sighed heavily. Everyone knew exactly who he was now - the one thing he had always dreaded.

"You're saying…?"

"I'm _saying_ that I believe Pascalia is behind all of this. It all adds up! Lightning struck, and there's now strange activity around the very place where some of the strongest_ Dragon _Pokémon in the country are trapped! Ice? Human _blood_?! We have to do something! We have to stop her!"

Fuego looked into her grey-blue eyes.

"I'm leaving today," he said in his deep, gravelly voice.

"Leaving?! You can't just _leave_."

"I can. And I am. Now in fact," he said, doing up the clasps of his case, "I'm travelling to Blackthorn, it's urgent, very urgent."

"But it can't be more important than –"

"It's every bit as important, Cristine, for it's to do with your theory. It's happening."

Cristine's mouth fell open. She could not ever recall a time where Fuego had taken her seriously.

"I will let them know of your theory and…well done. I believe you to be one hundred percent correct."

He gave her a very rare smile before shifting past both of the ice type trainers and out of the door.

-o-

"Where's Rose?" Tripp asked as he crawled from his tent, his dark hair all over the place. Jay opened his mouth but could not think what to answer – partly because he had no idea what to say.

"I got you both a coffee."

Jay turned his head so fast his neck cricked. Rose was walking towards them with two cups in her hands.

"Thanks!" Tripp grinned, taking his cup, "did you walk to town with no shoes on?" he asked, staring at her feet incredulously.

"My boots were rubbing," she lied, shrugging nonchalantly, "here you go," she said casually, handing Jay his cup but avoiding his eyes. He could only gape at her, rubbing at his neck where it twinged.

"Are you going to bother with your readings Jay?" she asked as she began to rummage through her rucksack for her jeans, "or can we get moving?"

Jay continued to stare at her, unsure exactly what she was thinking. She looked remarkably calm…_too_ calm if truth be told.

"Earth to Jay?" Tripp laughed as he took some bread rolls from his bag.

"Um…whatever really."

Rose rolled her eyes.

"Let's get going then," she smiled tightly, climbing into her tent and finally changing out of her pyjamas.

"What the hell's up with you?" Tripp asked, his eyebrow raised questioningly.

"N-nothing," Jay frowned, still staring at the closed flap of Rose's tent.

-o-

"Feeling okay?" Eusine asked.

"Eusine, I'm _fine_," Morty insisted, as he took a seat. Clothes shopping really wasn't his thing.

"Well, just tell me if you're not," Eusine said, squinting at two jackets which were apparently two very subtly different shades of lilac.

"You're not buying _all_ of these clothes?" Morty asked incredulously. The pile he was sat by was almost as high as his shoulder.

"It's winter now!" Eusine exclaimed, "I need to rebuy everything!"

"But…_why_?"

"You wouldn't understand," Eusine said, rolling his eyes, "I doubt_ you_ own anything more adventurous than a navy t-shirt," he snorted.

Morty raised his eyebrows.

"When you wear colours as flamboyant as I do, you need to change them frequently," Eusine explained.

"Because…?"

"Because otherwise people will get bored with how I look! This is _expected_ of me."

Morty let out a shout of laughter.

"If you say…so…" he said, his voice trailing off alarmingly. Eusine turned towards him frantically, dropping the lilac jacket and kneeling in front of his friend.

"Morty? _Morty_?! Oh fuck…" he whispered, looking around for help. There was nobody in sight. Morty's breathing became very laboured, his eyes tightly shut as though in pain. His hands, which had been gripping at his dark blond hair, slackened, and Eusine began to truly panic. However just as he stood up and made to run for help, Morty's eyes opened.

"What is it? What is it this time?" Eusine asked desperately, his voice quaking.

"That same vision, the new one," Morty sighed. He made to stand up but his legs wouldn't support him and Eusine forced him back down onto the seat.

"I thought you had learnt to deal with the visions again? They were barely affecting you last week!"

"I know, Eusine, I know," Morty muttered, his face in his hands, "but this isn't the same…I can't understand it."

"I'm telling your parents Morty," Eusine said, the hysteria easy to discern in his voice, "I can't cope with this alone, and I don't think you should be either!"

Morty sighed, but nodded in agreement. He could barely stand, how could he honestly say he was fine?

"Thank God you were only shopping in Violet City," Isadora whispered as she helped her son into the spare bed.

"Ma, I don't need to get into bed," Morty muttered, embarrassed.

"Don't you tell me what you do or don't need," she said, her tears causing her voice to tremor, "and _you_, Eusine! How could you not have called us yesterday? _Anything_ could have been wrong with him!"

She stroked Morty's hair and looked down at his pale face with pain in her eyes.

"I'm sorry," Eusine mumbled, knowing he should have ignored his friend and called for help.

"I only passed out for a second this time," Morty said weakly, "I'm getting better at controlling this one."

"You shouldn't have to!" Isadora said shrilly, tears spilling down her cheeks, "just…just stay nice and quiet Morty. Your father's on his way, and so is your Uncle Perrin."

Morty sighed heavily. His great Uncle Perrin was a Sage of Tin Tower; he wanted to forget all of this, not drag it into the limelight. More than anything he wanted to see Rose, to tell _her_ about it…

"There now, don't be frightened," Isadora whispered, wiping the single tear from her son's face and smiling weakly at him. Morty tried to smile back – he wasn't about to correct her.

"I must say, I can't make much sense of it," Perrin whispered an hour later. He had left Morty's room and was sat at the kitchen table with Isadora and Hector.

"Well we can't make _any _sense of it," Hector said, piercing the older man with a determined stare, "can't you enlighten us?"

Perrin sighed as he stirred a sugar lump into his tea. He had his inklings about what this could mean. He looked up into the two sets of terrified eyes and could not bring himself to add another burden.

"Morty's 'gift'…is like nothing we Sages have ever seen before. When it first happened, all those years ago, we thought something might come of it. It never did. Morty continued to experience the visions, _he _grew stronger, but the visions did not change, and eventually they disappeared…"

"And now…now they're back and…and they _have_ changed…?" Isadora asked, her hands wrapped comfortingly around her teacup.

Perrin could not bring himself to look into his niece's eyes.

"I do not know…the visions disappeared once before? Perhaps this will happen again?"

Isadora and Hector nodded, although they looked thoroughly unconvinced.

"And Morty?" Hector asked, "There is nothing you can do for him? No treatment you know of? Is he expected to live his whole life in fear of collapsing in public? Will this get worse? Is his clairvoyance unsafe?"

"I have never known another to experience this in all of my seventy-five years," Perrin said, heavily and truthfully, "Morty appears well, except for his visions. I suggest he avoid stress, perhaps try meditation?"

It took all of Hector's composure not to retort sarcastically. Meditation. Excellent.

"I must return to the Tower, please inform me if his condition changes."

Hector and Isadora nodded curtly, both furious and petrified.

As Perrin left the house he took in a deep breath. He had his suspicions, but by God he hoped he was wrong. He had known Morty since he was a tiny baby, and he loved him dearly.

-o-

"Grandfather!" Lance gasped, running into Dragon's Den, "you're back! We weren't expecting you so soon!" his cat-shaped eyes were heavy with questions, but the Elder merely gave a closed smile.

"Grandfather – are you well?" Clair asked, although in all honesty she hadn't seen the old man looking so well for a very long time.

"I am perfectly well, thank you Clair," he nodded, "if you would both take a seat, the others will be along shortly."

They did not bother asking any more questions; they knew they would get their answers soon enough.

A few minutes past and Rodolfo and Cornelio also entered the cosy chamber within Dragon's Den.

"Father," Cornelio said warmly, "you're back much sooner than we expected."

"The journey was far easier than I could have hoped for."

"And…you have answers? The answers you sought?" Rodolfo asked uncertainly.

"I believe we have the necessary information to proceed," the Elder said, somewhat ominously.

"Proceed with what?" Lance asked impatiently, leaning forward in his chair.

"Not just yet, Lance, I will wait until we're all here," this was met with confused silence, "Fernando is on his way."

At that moment, the door to the chamber opened, and the third son of the Elder entered. He threw his brothers a small, closed smile and bowed his head respectfully to his father.

"My son," the old man beamed, "it has been many, many years since you were last here…"

"Many years indeed, father," he conceded, taking a seat beside Cornelio.

It had in fact been more than eighteen years since they had last laid eyes upon one other, and the brothers could not mask their shock.

Fernando was as handsome as ever; his hair, still jet-black, stuck straight upwards much like Lance's, and yet his skin, which, like theirs, used to be tanned from Dragon flight, was paler, and his brown eyes that used to sparkle with mischief and defiance had dulled and hollowed somewhat.

"It pains me to have you all here together for the first time in so many years, only to give you such grave news…" the Elder turned to Cornelio, "the legend is coming true."

Clair gasped and Lance clenched his hands into fists. Cornelio and Rodolfo gaped – only Fernando looked unperturbed.

"You're certain, grandfather?" Lance asked, his lips white.

"I am positive," he again looked towards Cornelio whose eyes were fixed on his lap, "I travelled far into the Dark Cave," the old man said quietly, "it took me a good few days to reach the central Chamber…"

All five looked up at him in confusion.

"The Draco Silicis," he sighed heavily, "the arrogant fool's dream…you all know I was in possession of it. You all know I 'destroyed' it, and that I 'destroyed' those dratted books on Draconis…" his hazel eyes filled with tears, "I did not destroy them," he whispered, "I hid them."

The Dragon Tamers continued to stare at him in silence. Clair could feel a coldness settle within her heart.

"Yes, the legend scared me, yes I believed I was willing to do anything that would prevent it from coming true…anything but destroy my heritage, so it would seem…" he said this bitterly, the self-disgust evident in his voice.

"Pascalia…?" Cornelio asked quietly, dreading the answer.

"The central Chamber, that I sealed using Draconis, was empty. Pascalia has taken the Draco Silicis."

Lance glanced over at Clair whose face was white. He swallowed audibly. If only he had taken her fears seriously.

"Then Pascalia is…?" Rodolfo asked.

"Pascalia is 'cursed by Chaos', she is whom the legend is referring to."

The room rang with silence.

"Then she must die," Cornelio said quietly.

The Elder took his son's face in his hands and stared down into his familiar, cat-shaped eyes.

"She is already dead, my son. Pascalia as we knew her is gone; she is Chaos's child now."

Lance could feel a tear roll down his cheek. He hastily wiped it away with his black leather riding glove.

"Then what must be done?" Cornelio croaked, trying desperately to accept what he felt he had secretly known for a long time. His second daughter would not be coming home.

"We must find the second child," Fernando said, speaking for the first time. All five heads turned towards him, "the second child that the legend refers to, the child blessed by Firelight."

"You are correct," the Elder nodded, "it is hard to believe as you gaze out upon civilisation that the world is on a knife-edge. Should Chaos succeed, the world will cease to exist as we know it."

"And…Pascalia_ is_ 'Chaos'?" Clair asked quietly.

"She is now the vessel of Chaos," the Elder sighed; although he had come to terms with it, he knew telling his family would be like reliving it all over again.

Lance considered these words. He had never before taken the legend seriously, and therefore there were parts of it that he had never bothered to understand.

"When you speak of 'Chaos'…what exactly-?"

"Chaos is a mysterious, ancient force. We can assume He has a shape, but it is yet unknown to man. It has long been accepted however, that Chaos is of Dragon type, whereas the sacred Firelight is, obviously, fire type."

"So these forces are…Pokémon?" Lance asked.

"Legendary Pokémon," Fernando confirmed, "and the Firelight, many believe, is none other than Ho-Oh. 'Chaos' is more secretive, and is yet to show His true form."

"Ho-Oh…" Rodolfo frowned, "then surely…the child of Firelight -?"

"I would first guess that the child resides in Ecruteak City," the Elder confirmed, "but of course nothing is certain…"

"And the…the _battle_ between Chaos and Firelight…" Clair frowned, "it's not…it's not a _Pokémon_ battle?"

"No, Clair," the Elder sighed, "I am afraid it is far more sinister than that. No Pokémon will be harmed in this struggle – it is the vessels, the children both blessed and cursed, that we must fear for."

"But you say that Pascalia is already dead?" Cornelio asked, his voice breaking on the last word.

"She is dead as we knew her," he said heavily, "it is however necessary that she die a mortal death if we wish to keep the _world_ as we know it."

"Father," Fernando began, "the legend is unspecific, this _battle_, there is no certain outcome…blue flame and natural flame…neither is more physically powerful than the other…can one prevail?"

The Elder closed his eyes wearily before he spoke.

"It is my…my belief that if one is to be extinguished, the other must also burn out in the struggle."

"So both 'children', cursed by Chaos and blessed by Firelight, must…die?" Lance asked.

"I think this may be the case," the Elder whispered.

"So you're going to find an innocent, unknowing person and expect them to walk into a legendary battle?!" Fernando asked, his brown eyes furious, "how is that fair? How can anyone be expected to walk away from their life on the words of some 'legend' that most do not believe?!"

"Fernando, it is _Fate_," the Elder said, his voice hard, "it's these 'children' or the world. If it was your life or the world, which would you choose?" he thundered.

Fernando nodded his head in understanding. Life could be brutal; he was no stranger to that.

"How will you find this child? The one 'blessed by Firelight'?" Clair asked.

The Elder turned to Fernando, his eyes heavy with pain.

"Fernando…it is you who is the expert on fire…_natural_ fire. I wish you to go to Ecruteak. Speak to the Sages there. We must not be idle."

-o-

Once the others had left Dragon's Den, the Elder turned to his youngest son.

"Fernando…I would appreciate your input."

"Father?"

"You know the legend better than most…what make you of the end?"

Fernando frowned, his heavy black eyebrows meeting across his straight nose.

"The ending I have never been clear on…do most not omit it?"

The Elder nodded.

"It is all well and good to omit what we do not understand…but this is not a legend any longer, my son. This is very, very real and I fear that it will all go wrong if this final part is not deciphered!"

"Remind me of it, Father."

"The legend states that the battle will take place between the light and the darkness, the natural flame and the blue flame…as I have said, I believe both must perish but the ending…what can the ending mean? What is a_ Firemoon_?" the old man asked desperately.

Fernando blinked.

"A Firemoon? Is that not the name for when the moon is red in its eclipse?"

"So it is a real thing?"

"As far as I am aware it is a fantastical name for a red lunar eclipse."

"_Product of the Firemoon, self-sacrifice and purity of heart, thus the Firelight will appear_ \- what can it _mean_?!"

"Product of the Firemoon…" Fernando whispered, "red eclipses are rare…perhaps the child blessed by Firelight was born during the last one?!" Fernando suggested, his eyes wide.

"Yes! Yes!" the Elder exclaimed, "a clue! The ending is very much 'added on' to the main body of the legend, much like a hint…"

"If we examine all of the records of those born in Ecruteak and Blackthorn during this time, perhaps we can significantly narrow our search?!"

The two men, old and young, smiled grimly at one another. They had plenty of work to do.

-o-

As they made their way to Dill Town, Tripp couldn't help but notice the strange atmosphere between Jay and Rose. Rose herself seemed okay, a little closed off maybe, but Jay kept throwing her very strange looks; was he worried? Scared? Guilty? To Tripp it seemed as though he were all three.

He continued to watch them all afternoon and evening until they finally reached the sleepy town of Dill. He was certain by then that there was definitely something up, and he felt rather left out. There was clearly something going on that he was not part of, and it hurt that they had no intention of letting him in on it.

As he pitched his tent, Tripp's mind lingered on Rose: she had been his best friend since before he could remember, and yet, now, he could not remember the last time he had had a proper conversation with her. He had no idea what she was really thinking, or what was even going on her life at the moment. He felt guilty then – Rose had had something on her mind since she came back from Johto, and he, unlike Jay, had never bothered himself about it. He realised she was unhappy but hadn't cared enough about how she was feeling to try and find out what it was, to find out if he could help her. He knew, and it shamed him to admit it, that all he had thought about was his own happiness, and what he wanted. His mouth fell open in shock when he realised he hadn't even apologised to Rose for the way he had spoken to her on the night of the ball…why wasn't she _furious_ with him?

Finally, Tripp began to wonder. Something very drastic must have happened to her to make her forget all of that. His heart sank as he realised that it was highly unlikely that it was her 'feelings' for him that had caused her to think this way. If anything, he must have been completely absent from her mind for her _not_ to be angry with him…

Although he knew it was the coward's way out, he could not bring himself to ask her outright. He made his way over to Jay's tent from his own, which they had pitched once again just outside of the town.

"Jay?" he whispered, crouching beside the sealed flap.

"What is it?" he asked, unzipping his tent. Tripp looked incredibly shifty.

"Can I talk to you?"

Jay surveyed his friend worriedly. He must have realised that something strange had happened. He didn't want to be the one to tell him, and yet he couldn't lie to him either.

"Sure," Jay sighed, moving aside so that Tripp could crawl into his tent, "what's up?"

"What's up with _you_?" Tripp asked, "you've been acting really weirdly all day."

Try as he might, Jay could not avoid Tripp's piercing blue eyes. He sighed and ran his hands tiredly through his cropped blond hair.

"Jay?"

"Look…it's not easy," he said, his grey eyes pained, "I want to tell you but she…" he sighed.

"Rose?"

"_I'm_ fine, let's just clear that up, but Rose…"

"What's wrong with her?" Tripp whispered, his eyes wide. Had he been so blind? Was something truly horrendous the matter with her?!

"This is so fucking difficult," Jay groaned, looking up at his friend with pain in his eyes.

"What's wrong with her Jay?!"

Jay sighed heavily: he had no idea where to begin.

"I can see by your face that…that you've probably guessed her 'liking' you is not the root of the problem here?"

Tripp nodded slowly. It smarted to hear it confirmed, but if he really thought about it, he knew it wasn't the case.

"She…oh God Tripp, it's so fucked up!"

"Jay, you are seriously scaring me here," he gulped.

"It's just…I don't know if it's my place to tell you," he said quietly.

"So she doesn't want me to know?" Tripp asked flatly.

"Don't get me wrong – she only told me because I forced it out of her…" Jay replied bitterly.

"Jay?! What -?"

"She's pregnant," Jay snapped.

The small tent rang with silence.

"Pardon?" Tripp asked politely after a while. He must have misunderstood. He _must_ have. Jay did not answer; he merely buried his face in his hands. Tripp felt dumbfounded. This could not be true. It just could_ not_ be true.

"Jay?" he asked, his voice breaking, "is this why…why she's been -?"

"She didn't even know," Jay whispered, his face still in his hands, "she's been getting sick the last few mornings, and I asked her, as a joke y'know? I didn't realise she'd –"

He couldn't bring himself to continue. Tripp felt as though the ground was falling away from his feet, and his stomach was somersaulting constantly as he inevitably waited to hit the bottom. Hard.

"But if she…if she didn't realise then…then why – why has she been so…who even _was_ it?!"

Jay finally looked up, his grey eyes glinting like steel.

"A _Gym_ Leader," he spat, "a Gym Leader from Johto."

Tripp's face blanched. A _Gym Leader_. Not some faceless, nameless stranger...

"Which?" he whispered, unable to imagine Rose with_ anyone_, let alone someone well-known.

Jay glanced over at him, disgust evident in his face.

"_Morty_."

Tripp sat up straight in shock, his mind reeling. He had received too much information in one hit. Rose didn't like _him_, Rose was pregnant, and the baby was _Morty's_?!– that Gym Leader from Ecruteak City…the ghost type one.

"How?" he managed to croak. Everything had been turned upside down. Nothing made sense anymore. How had this happened to _Rose_? She didn't _fancy_ people, she didn't _sleep_ with people…unless?

Jay glanced over at Tripp and saw the hope flame in his eyes.

"It wasn't in reaction to you, Tripp," he muttered wearily, "they were 'in love' apparently."

Tripp let out a cruel bark of laughter. It was easier to laugh at her, to believe she had been stupid. It was much easier than believing that someone else had affected her in the way he had always wanted to.

"It's ridiculous I know, but that's the truth as far as she's concerned…" Jay snorted.

"Morty…" Tripp said, his eyes narrowed. He had always admired Morty. He had a brilliant reputation as a Gym Leader, and of course, ghost type Pokémon were very unusual and notoriously difficult to train, "how old is he?" he glowered.

"Four years older than her apparently," Jay snarled.

Tripp's mouth fell open. Again, this just wasn't possible. Rose would not sleep with anyone, especially not someone four years older than her, especially someone she didn't even _know_.

"And he got her pregnant?"

"Yes."

"And she found out yesterday?"

"_Yes_."

Tripp frowned at this information.

"She can't be. She was acting fine today."

"Well we both know she's pretty good at acting," Jay muttered.

Tripp sat in silence, trying to make sense of everything he had just been told. But he couldn't. He was in such shock that he didn't feel anything, anger, hurt…he only felt the beginnings of disgust.

"I can't believe she was so stupid," he finally seethed, "and that _Morty_, what a fucking creep! I'll have to talk to her tomorrow," he said angrily, wondering for the thousandth time what the hell she had been thinking, and what on earth she was going to do now.

He unzipped Jay's tent and jumped backwards in shock. Rose crouched down from where she had been standing so that she could see them both. Her dark eyes were shining with fury in her stark white face.

"So," she whispered, her voice trembling with ire, "this is _very_ nice isn't it?"

Jay and Tripp could only stare at her in horror. She had heard everything.

Her brown eyes found Jay's and held his gaze. He began to turn pink.

"And you wonder why I didn't want to tell you?" she whispered, the ghost of a smile on her face, which was still alive with malice, "silly me," she laughed, the sound eerie.

"Rose –" Jay began awkwardly.

"Yes?" she asked with sarcastic expectancy, her eyes mockingly wide and her head inclined to the side, "please Jay, _please_ enlighten me. I'm sure you have an absolutely fantastic excuse for holing up here and slagging me off?"

"Rose," Tripp said desperately, "we weren't –"

"_Weren't_ you?" she asked, pretending to be aghast, "Oh pardon me! I must have _imagined _you talking about me sleeping with a 'creep' and getting pregnant?"

"Rose I'm just worried about you!" Jay cried, "and Tripp realised there was something wrong too! You're only seventeen! And you're _pregnant_!" he whispered, "and you yourself said that _Morty _wasn't talking to you!"

"I'm not," she said, quietly and coldly. Some strange emotion was glinting in her eyes.

"Not what?" Tripp asked, confused by her response.

"I'm _not pregnant_," she snapped, "I was coming to tell you, Jay, but it already sounds like you've got me _all_ figured out."

She gave them one last revolted glare before she turned and made her way back to her own tent.

-o-

As soon as her tent was securely zipped up, Rose burst into silent sobs. She couldn't believe everything she had heard - that they would think of her in such a way. She cried harder as she thought of Morty. It felt like it had been far longer than a few weeks since she had last seen him. She had posted her letter earlier that day. She only hoped that it wouldn't be too late, that he would still want to see her.

Wiping her eyes she considered her other news; the test had been negative. If she had taken time to think about it, and not just acted on blind panic, she thought she would have realised that she couldn't have been pregnant. For a start, she was sure that sickness didn't come this early in pregnancy, and it hadn't been that long ago that - she blushed. Also - she blushed more deeply at her stupidity - she had had her period since she'd arrived back in Sesame, so there was no way she could have been…but her feelings about it were bewildering her. She was relieved, but she wasn't altogether…happy. She tried to banish the image of the violet eyed little girl who otherwise looked just like her. She had effectively dodged a bullet – so why did she feel so hollow inside?

**AN:**

**To the Guest reviewer – please make an account! I would love to reply to you! (: to all my other reviewers – thank you again! I love you all (:**

**So Rose wasn't pregnant, I'm sorry if that disappointed any of you, but to be honest, Morty isn't that stupid.**

**We also learn more about the legend, although as you can see even the 'experts' are stumped over its elusive ending. Hmm.**

**Anyway, I'd love to hear from you on your way out! :D**

**Lots and lots of love, A xx**


	31. Chapter 31

It wasn't supposed to be like this, this… complete lack of control. She wanted to be in control herself; she wanted the power that it brought…

Pascalia desperately tried to force the oppressive haze from her mind, but it had overpowered her long ago - it was only now that she truly realised. Screwing her eyes tightly shut, Pascalia desperately tried to hold on to herself, to her memories, her dreams, those things that made her _her_. But the haze had waited too long. It was growing more impatient by the day. Slowly, but steadily, Pascalia could feel the assault on her mind once again. The cold trickling, which once felt pleasant, was now terrifying. Gasping for breath, Pascalia fell to her knees. Images of her sister, her grandfather, her Dragonair, those books…everything she had once held dear flashed before her eyes. Was the haze giving her one last chance to savour all that she had loved one last time? Or was it simply taunting her by forcing her to gaze upon everything she had tossed aside?

Her vision clouding, Pascalia fell heavily to the forest floor. Her breathing now shallow, she lay in silence and relinquished the little control she retained. She was not strong enough, she could not hold on to that human part of herself any longer. Her topaz eyes, slit pupilled, slid heavily closed. When they finally opened, Pascalia no longer looked through them. Chaos did.

_To work_, his vessel thought.

-o-

Rose rolled her eyes as she stepped out of her tent the following morning. Jay and Tripp were standing side by side behind the cold campfire, and they were staring at her remorsefully.

"Rose?" Jay asked hesitantly.

She ignored him and released her Ninetales.

"Ember please, Ninetales," she said, indicating the dried pile of wood. One it was aflame, Rose smiled and stroked her Pokémon gratefully on the head, before returning her to her Pokéball.

"Rose?" Tripp repeated, looking over at Jay in alarm.

She still did not acknowledge them, despite the fact that she pulled out three bread rolls and three bananas.

"Rose – about last night," Jay began.

"Save your breath, Jay," she replied casually and calmly, pouring water into three cups.

"We didn't mean it like that," Tripp said earnestly.

"Didn't mean what like what?" she asked suddenly, rounding on him, her brown eyes furious.

"I just…we just…we didn't mean any of it. Anything we said," he mumbled. Jay nodded in agreement.

Rose let out a short laugh but did not respond and continued to lay out the breakfast things.

"Please, Rose –" Jay started, but she interrupted him.

"I'm going to say this once, okay?" she snapped, "you two made me feel like complete shit last night. And _don't_ say you didn't mean it because I think I deserve better than you lying to my face."

They had the grace to look ashamed of themselves.

"To be honest," she continued, "I don't care what you think. I don't_ care_ if you believe me. I don't care if you think I was stupid. I told Professor Willow I would accompany you on this experiment, Jay, and I will keep my word. I do not wish to speak to either of you. I do not wish you to speak to me. I've had a hard enough time of it recently, and I could really do without your pathetic, false grovelling. All right?"

They gaped at her silently and she gave them a fake sunny smile.

"Perfect," she said sarcastically.

Jay and Tripp both felt incredibly awkward as they ate their breakfast. Jay was furious with himself: he had effectively betrayed her. He had judged her, and then told her secret to another. He still could not believe what he had learned about her, but his horror at ruining their friendship was far outweighing any decisions of hers that he didn't agree with. If he was honest, he couldn't blame her reaction towards them. What they had done was pathetic; bitching about her in the safety of his tent, looking down on her and even laughing at her behind her back. His face flamed as he recalled what they had said even that morning, their immaturity in attempting to deny what she had already heard. Bianca had been right all along: Rose was far from predictable, and far from forgiving.

Tripp couldn't prevent himself glancing at her again and again. She seemed so very composed so very…herself. Her eyes were bright and hard with fury, but her back was straight and her stance determined. She clearly had something on her mind, but she had a plan, and he had no idea what it was. He wished he could ask her, wished he could know what she was thinking. She had become such a mystery to him in the last month or two; it made him hate her, but he wanted her more than ever. He glanced over at her again. She was reading the book on magnetism and minerals in rocks. Her eyes moved impressively fast through the pages and she only paused to take a bite of bread. Her dark hair was glinting in the weak winter sunlight, hanging to her waist heavily. Her skin was fresh and dewy, her lips red from the cold November air. Tripp felt himself burn with anger as he imagined someone else kissing those lips. She was so very apart from him. He could not deny that this hurt, but it wasn't only that…the idea that she was someone else's killed him. What did _Morty_ have that he didn't? Tripp stared into the flames of the campfire and desperately tried to unsee the images that had been forcing entry into his mind for the last few hours. Unfortunately for him, these images were in his head, so closing his eyes to escape them only made them more vivid. Images of her, giving herself fully to that Gym Leader…Tripp's hands began to shake. He couldn't bear it. He glanced over at her again and swallowed heavily. He would have to bear it for now.

Rose was reading without understanding. She could not shift the gnawing in her stomach. She wasn't sure how she knew, but she was certain something was wrong. He hadn't replied to her letter. She began to chew on her bottom lip in worry. Obviously he had been furious with her…but he _asked_ her to reply. He said he wanted to talk…Rose swallowed audibly. She had not expected this. She had been prepared for anger, for snide comments…but for nothing? Was this how he felt when he had written to her, so kindly the first time and…not so kindly the second? Perhaps it was wishful thinking, but she thought she knew that something was very, very wrong. Could he be ill? Or was her bad feeling simply that he wanted nothing to do with her anymore? Her mind was already made up. As soon as this experiment was over, she was going back to Johto. If he shunned her, so be it. She had to try. Rose swallowed her tears and turned her attention back to the book. Not much longer now.

-o-

The library in Dragon's Den was silent but for the tentative turning of delicate pages. The Elder frowned to himself as he studied the Blackthorn Census: the city was a small one anyway, and the Firemoon only occurred once a century at most. Although he had essentially hit a dead end, he was pleased with the result.

"Fernando," he called to his son who was pursuing volumes on the opposite side of the library, "I believe my theory to be correct."

Sesame's Champion marked his page in the dusty, slightly mouldy, book and made his way over to his father.

"No child was born to Blackthorn during the Firemoon," the older man said with certainty.

"You are sure?" Fernando asked, although he was positive his father would not have made a mistake.

"I am very sure. This only confirms that the 'child' must be of Ecruteak City. We must act quickly, my son."

Fernando nodded, despite being highly against the task. He did not relish telling a young person that they must sacrifice their life for the sake of the world.

"Father, I have been reading up on the Festival of the Firemoon. Tradition has it that every Firemoon, those of Ecruteak performed rituals of sorts, to praise Ho-Oh in the hope that it would bestow sacred Firelight upon them."

"And what did this ritual consist of?"

"The book does not specify. Judging that the Firemoon before last was well over one hundred years ago, I very much doubt that any ancient rituals of that sort were performed in this current day. Those of Ecruteak are very traditional, as you well know, but I have never heard of them performing any ritual, especially not in the past twenty years."

"Nor I," the Elder mused, "although interestingly, if this were the one Firemoon that was _not_ worshipped, it seemed to do the trick, did it not? We can only assume that the child blessed by Firelight is alive and well – despite the fact that Ho-Oh was not invoked."

"Father," Fernando began, "forgive me, but you seem…unperturbed by the fate of these 'children'."

The hazel eyes met the brown, and the Elder gestured that Fernando take the seat opposite him.

"My son, this is far bigger, far more important than the lives of two. Hard though it may seem to grasp, the fate of the world should be more important to you. This…battle between the light and the darkness is inevitable. Throughout history, as you well know, the two forces have clashed. Every time, so far, the light has triumphed. The darkness may never be defeated fully, but if the light can only continue to keep Him at bay…well, then there is hope for mankind yet."

"But -"

"Fernando, you are not a father. As difficult as this may be for you to grasp, it is worse for me, for _Cornelio_. We have managed to accept this, and therefore so must you. You do not know the strength of love possible to hold for a child of your own…you could not imagine how it feels to watch a child that you love with all your heart walk blindly into a painful death decreed by fate."

Fernando shifted uncomfortably, but did not answer. The Elder looked up at his youngest son, his eyes very old once more.

"You must leave for Ecruteak as soon as possible. Do you have a fast means of getting there?"

"I have my Charizard," Fernando said quietly.

The Elder nodded his approval, before reverently returning the crumbling old books to their correct places.

-o-

They dismounted smoothly from their Dragnonites, their hair windswept and their faces wind burnt. Silently they began to scale the base of Dill Rook, the backs of their necks tingling unpleasantly. Clair glanced over at Lance. His face was set, his mouth in a grim line, and his cat-shaped eyes hard. He felt her stare and turned towards her, giving her a quick smile before they resumed their pacing.

Clair could not explain what she was feeling. Her skin felt hyper-sensitive, and every small sound, every breath of wind was causing her to wince horribly.

"Lance?" she whispered, taking hold of his forearm, "Lance, I don't like it here."

He took in her wide indigo eyes and her pale cheeks. She was frightened, and he couldn't blame her. That blasted legend…he was still finding it incredibly hard to believe that it was actually true, that it was happening right now, and that he and Clair were searching for Pascalia, no, not for Pascalia, for Chaos's vessel.

"We have to be here, Clair," he told her quietly, "we have to try and stop her, we must hold her back until it is the right time… if we can."

Clair glanced about her, her eyes moving restlessly. She felt as though she were being watched, _hunted_.

Suddenly, a fierce growling rent the air and Clair and Lance jumped backwards in fright. They breathed a sigh of relief as they realised it was only their Dragonites.

"What's the matter?" Lance asked, moving towards his Pokémon. Dragonite continued to growl gutturally. His topaz eyes were fixed on his trainer in a way they never had been before. He looked hungry, he looked ready to kill. Clair stared at the two Dragon Pokémon with fear in her eyes. They were impeccably trained; they had never once attacked another creature unless on command, let alone their trainers.

"Come back, Lance," Clair whispered as she backed away towards the face of the mountain. For the first time in her life she could appreciate why Dragons were feared, "Just move back slowly."

She watched him backing away, his dark red head held high, and his black cloak swirling about his ankles. The Dragonites continued to watch him through their feral eyes, their fangs bared in a leering grimace. Once Lance reached Clair, she reached out and clasped his gloved hand in hers. Slowly and carefully they continued to back away until their beloved Pokémon were out of sight. Breathing heavily and shaking, they leant against the mountain face.

"It must be that fucking crystal," Lance spat, his teeth chattering from the adrenaline coursing through his veins.

"The Draco Silicis?"

"She's around here somewhere, Clair," Lance muttered, his eyes darting restlessly through the trees of Dill Woods, "and as long as she's near we're going to have no control over our Pokémon…that crystal, it enables her to have complete control over Dragon types."

Clair began to worry her bottom lip with her teeth. She had never once been helpless when it came to Pokémon, and now she was more helpless than she ever had been, and it was her own Pokémon that she was to fear.

"Grandfather must have forgotten," she said quietly, "how could any Dragon Tamer protect the surrounding area when we have no control over our Dragons?"

She began to shake as she truly contemplated what Chaos's triumph could mean. Dragon type Pokémon, in all their strength and their glory, powerful, unbeatable, and without conscience. The world and everyone in it would be destroyed in a blaze of bitingly hot, blue flame – just as the legend warned.

"We have to get away from here," Lance said, taking a deep breath in order to calm himself.

"What about Dragonite? Are we to leave on foot?" Clair asked. There were not overly familiar with Sesame, and the thought of running blindly through the eerie woods with no mean of protection and the vessel of Chaos lurking anywhere was enough to make her hair stand on end.

"We can't go on foot, it would be too dangerous," Lance sighed heavily, his thoughts echoing Clair's, "We'll have to recapture Dragonite, and then get as far away from this mountain as we can on foot…"

"Do you think Dragonite will return to normal once they're away from the Draco Silicis?"

"I think so," Lance frowned, "they were acting completely normally until we got here…we just need to…to…" he couldn't think of a fitting phrase.

"To clear their heads?" Clair suggested.

"Precisely," Lance replied grimly.

-o-

Rose frowned to herself as she retook the mineral levels in the large body of water just outside Dill Town. They were normal - again. They were growing ever closer to Dill Rook, and both the rocks and the water that they had been testing remained frustratingly, and boringly, normal.

"Same again?" Jay asked, attempting to sound cheerful. Rose gave a curt nod but did not speak. Jay sighed to himself. He knew that trying was fruitless, but he couldn't just give up on trying to salvage what was left of their friendship.

"I just can't believe that evolutionary energy is anything to do with the Garchomp's mood change," Rose muttered.

Jay gaped in shock – was she _talking_ to him?!

"Well…what do you think it could be?"

Rose was so caught up in her own thoughts that she responded.

"I'm not sure," she said quietly, her brow furrowed, "but I can't help but feel that Professor Willow has it wrong for once."

Jay nodded slowly. To be honest, he hadn't really thought about it, and he didn't know enough of Pokémon behaviour to make a sound evaluation.

Rose shrugged.

"We said we'd do this…it's not our place to decide when the experiment stops," she said, giving a small smile. Jay smiled back at her; he tried to put a lot into that smile, and he hoped that she understood…she gave a small nod anyway.

"Rose -"

"Please, Jay, just don't," Rose sighed, turning away from him and heading back towards their camp.

Jay slumped to the ground and held his face in his hands. He didn't know what to do. He was frightened that by giving her time and space they would never resolve it, and would simply grow further apart, but he was also scared of pushing her and driving her further away regardless. He groaned quietly. Tripp wasn't much help. He had become quiet and sullen since he had found out that Rose wasn't interested in him, and he didn't appear to be in any hurry to talk to her either. Jay felt like slapping him to put an end to his constant 'what ifs'. In Jay's opinion, Tripp had acted like a complete wanker at the ball, and was now reaping his reward. Tripp had led a largely sheltered life, and had never really experienced any repercussions for his previous actions. Now that they had come around, he was only proving that he was unable to deal with them.

They took the readings once again that evening only to find, to nobody's surprise, that they hadn't changed. Rose was growing impatient. She wanted this to be over with so that she could go to Johto. She still had a bad feeling in her stomach, but she was beginning to assume it was mainly from nerves: he was yet to reply to her after all.

"Shall we get going?" Tripp asked that night. He made no secret of the fact that he did not enjoy sitting around and fiddling with delicate instruments. He wanted to get to a city, and more than ever he wanted to obtain his last Gym Badge. He knew that the League would not open for a few months yet, but he couldn't banish his rising excitement, despite the fact that his stomach twisted in knots and the blood drained from his face every time he glanced at his former best friend.

"Tonight?" Jay asked incredulously.

"Why not?" Tripp shrugged.

"You want to walk all night?!"

"Let's do it," Rose said.

They both turned to stare at her. Apart from earlier in the day when she had had the brief conversation with Jay, she had not spoken at all. Jay was shocked into silence once again and so merely nodded. Tripp did not say anything, and turned away before he began to pack away his things. Rose glared at his back, her eyes narrowed before she began to pack away her own tent.

At three o'clock in the morning, even Rose was beginning to flag. The idea of reaching Johto sooner was becoming less and less urgent when compared with the idea of a squashy sleeping bag and a chance to rest her aching feet.

"Can we stop?" Jay croaked, his eyes half closed and his feet dragging.

Rose was pleased she hadn't had to suggest it herself, as it had been she who agreed they attempt to walk through the night.

"Sure." Tripp snapped, dropping his rucksack where they stood. He was sick of hanging around.

"Shouldn't we…find somewhere more secluded?" Jay suggested.

"We're gonna get going as soon as the sun's up, so not much point," Tripp said, pulling his tent from his bag.

The three continued to pitch their tents in silence. Jay grumpily shuffled into his as soon as it was erect. Tripp deliberately took longer putting his up, not entirely sure as to what he was waiting for. As soon as the job was finished, he turned slowly to see Rose hammering in her last peg. She stood up only to see him staring at her through the darkness. She hurriedly looked away and made to get into her tent.

"Wait…please," he whispered.

Rose stood up once again, her eyebrows raised defiantly.

"I just…I need to know."

"Know what?" she asked irritably, annoyed with herself for getting into a situation where she was required to speak.

"Why you…why you chose…_him_?"

Rose's mouth fell open.

"Why I _chose_ him?" she seethed, "it wasn't him or _you_!" she continued, beginning to laugh mirthlessly. Tripp took a step closer to her. She was frightening him, this new Rose who seemed scarily independent, but she mesmerised him too. Her dark eyes were shining, and her red lips were curved upwards in a cruel smile.

"What are you doing?" she asked coldly as he continued to move towards her.

"You _can't_ like him Rose…not really…"

"I beg your pardon?" she asked, unable to believe her ears.

Tripp was really very tired, but the words just kept coming.

"It's always been me…hasn't it?" he asked, his eyelids dropping. He reached out to take her arm.

"Go to sleep, Tripp," Rose snarled, wrenching her arm from his grasp and getting into her tent.

Tripp swore under his breath and ran his hands through his dark hair. He always fucked everything up. He planned the perfect things to say in his head, things that had her looking up at him with desperation in her bright brown eyes, but then he saw her and he forgot everything. He would blurt out the first thing that came to his head and could only watch when she turned away from him in disgust. But he had plenty of time to fix things, plenty of time to get his head on straight. She was never going to be able to keep up a relationship with someone who lived in _Johto_.

Tripp smiled as he thought this. It was fine; everything was going to be fine. He would get a grip, they would become friends again and…and then…well, he wasn't entirely sure what would happen next, but he was going to make sure it was something good.

-o-

Lance held Clair by the shoulders and looked seriously into her cat-shaped, indigo eyes.

"This is going to be dangerous," he said quietly, "but it's our only choice."

"But surely…surely they won't actually _hurt_ us, Lance?"

"Honesty? I have no idea what they're going to do…which is why we have to be careful." His face was pained.

Clair nodded and took in a deep, rallying breath.

"I'm going to go first, okay?" he said, "just…just do as we planned…it should be fine."

Fifteen minutes later and they were in position. Clair was behind a tree, around which she could see the two Dragonites, desperately scrabbling at the mountain face, their predatory growls rumbling in their reptilian throats.

"Dragonite!" she heard Lance call. She glanced to the right and saw him standing in the clearing, his feet planted determinedly. It was exactly as he predicted. The Dragon Pokémon abandoned the mountain and turned towards Johto's Champion, their growls increasing in ferocity. Holding her breath, Clair emerged from the trees, the Dragonites' backs to her. She threw her Pokéball hard, and to her relief it hit its target: her own Dragonite. In a flash of red the Dragon disappeared and the Pokéball clicked shut. Now it was her turn – she would not be able to return Lance's Pokémon herself.

"Dragonite!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. She could not repress a shudder as the colossal Dragon turned towards her, its yellow eyes devoid of any understanding or emotion. It was very much wild, and very much out of control. Just as the Pokémon began to slowly advance towards her, Lance threw his own Pokéball. Just like Clair, he hit the target, and to their relief both Dragons were finally safely away.

Clair was rooted to the spot in shock and fear. Lance sprinted towards her, picking up the Pokéballs on the way. He stared into her eyes and kissed her hard and briefly on the lips. He said nothing, but took her hand as they ran as fast as they could away from the mountain.

-o-

The flight back to Johto felt surprisingly short when undertaken with a heavily occupied mind. To their relief, their Dragonites appeared to have turned back to normal as soon as they had left the ominous vicinity of the mountain. They dismounted much less gracefully in Blackthorn City than they had in Dill Woods, and it was with sheer abandon that they sprinted into Dragon's Den.

"Lance? Clair?!" The Elder exclaimed upon seeing his grandchildren, their faces red and their eyes wild, "why are you back so soon? What has happened?!"

"We…we can't…do it grandfather," Lance gasped.

"Can't do what?!"

"The…mountain…" Clair panted, "our Dragons…we lost control…we can't be there!"

"You lost control of Dragonite?" the old man asked, his mouth agape.

Lance nodded in affirmation.

"Never…seen…anything like it," he said grimly.

"They…they went mad…completely mad," Clair added, shuddering slightly.

"It must be the crystal," the Elder whispered, "no Dragon is safe in its presence…but you know what this means?!"

Lance and Clair continued to stare at him.

"Pascalia is definitely there. All of these strange happenings around the mountain…the earth tremors, the ice…it's her. She's trying to get in. She wants the Garchomp."

"W-what can we do?" Clair asked, her lips trembling.

"You must stay away from Dill Rook. It will need to be reinforced, but not by Dragon Tamers, we cannot risk adding to Chaos's army."

Lance gulped. The situation sounded horribly serious.

"Sesame will need to be alerted," Lance said, his responsibilities as Champion kicking in.

"They certainly will. Fernando is busy for the moment, he will not be able to help us just now…excuse me…it is necessary that I talk to Wilfred Willow. Right away."

-o-

They _did_ arise with the sun, and were on the road no more than fifteen minutes later. None of them were feeling particularly happy, but they all kept their mouths shut as they continued to trudge down the long, twisting road. They did agree, however, that it was a pleasant change to arrive in a city in the morning rather than late afternoon or evening for once.

Annatto City was large and sprawling. Size-wise it was similar to Tarragon City, but it lacked the same majesty: there were no memorial gardens, no stone monuments, no marble fountains. Annatto City was more modern, and more gritty. It had been ravaged more than ten years ago by the raging Garchomp, and buildings had been hastily thrown up after the attack so as to enable the continuation of businesses. The result was slightly slapdash, but Rose felt that the city had a charm of its own. She had certainly never been anywhere like it. The original shell of the city remained, in the old fashioned buildings and houses that lined the outskirts, but the shopping centre and business blocks were high; some flashy, some dull concrete blocks. It was haphazard, it clashed badly, but somehow it worked.

Jay certainly seemed to feel as though he were home. He couldn't keep the grin from his face, and he closed his eyes in bliss as the cold winter wind ruffled through his short blond hair. Rose was pleased, really, that this was his hometown, as she did not feel up to navigating it herself. With Jay leading, they managed to find the Pokémon Centre in less than five minutes, and they all sat down to hot drinks and porridge whilst their Pokémon were patched up from the journey.

"I want to challenge the Gym," Tripp said through a mouthful of porridge and honey.

"Surely not now? You must be shattered!" Jay exclaimed, his good mood returning now that he was no longer walking, and that he was somewhere he knew well and loved.

"I want to get it over and done with."

Rose rolled her eyes in disdain. He had really irritated her the previous night, and she wasn't exactly in a good mood to begin with. Luckily, Tripp did not spot this.

"Well I think we should go and buy some supplies first," Jay suggested, "and you guys have to come to my house!"

Rose looked over at him incredulously. Why on earth would she want to go to his house? She frowned in annoyance when she realised his new tactic: he was simply pretending none of the previous few days had happened - as if she could forget his harsh words so easily. And presumably Amy would be at his family home. Although they had not parted on bad terms, Rose really didn't think she was in the mood to deal with Amy right this minute.

However, neither Rose nor Tripp were feeling particularly talkative, and so they followed Jay out of the Pokémon Centre and into the city.

Jay happily pointed things out to them as they walked along in the November morning sunshine. Rose gave a tight smile every now and again, but she wasn't really taking anything in. As they approached the Gym, Jay and Tripp became very animated, discussing types and advantages and statistics. Rose was not paying them any attention, but she spun quickly on the spot, feeling as though she were being watched. As it happened, she_ was_ being watched, as a secondary subject of sorts. A woman was staring at the three of them, Jay in particular, her arms laden with shopping bags. Rose surveyed the woman through narrowed eyes. She would have been attractive when she was younger, but her strawberry blond hair was turning silver, and there were creases at the corners of her grey eyes. Smiling, the woman made her way towards the three teenagers, her bags clanking. Jay and Tripp finally turned at the noise and, with a gasp, Jay embraced the woman.

"Mum!" he exclaimed happily, "it's so good to see you! How are you? How're Dad and Amy?"

"They're very well," the woman smiled, cupping her son's face in her hands, "and how are you? And this must be Rose…and Tripp?"

Rose and Tripp nodded shyly. Tripp could not prevent his face turning red. He had no idea what Jay's mother knew about him, but from her bright eyes and friendly smile he decided it couldn't be anything too bad.

"Yeah, that's right," Jay grinned, "Guys, this is my mother, Valerie."

"It's nice to meet you," Rose said, giving a small smile. Tripp could only nod, his face still rather flushed.

"Are you here for the Gym?" Valerie asked, "Or are you still working on Professor Willow's experiment?"

"A bit of both really," Jay laughed, taking the bags from his mother, "I'm doing the experiment and Tripp's challenging the Gym."

"And what about you, Rose?" Valerie asked kindly, "I thought Jay said you were collecting badges too?"

Rose's mouth fell open in shock.

"I…er…"

"Rose has taken a break for now," Jay said, his voice suggesting that the conversation end there.

Rose felt irritated. She didn't want him sticking up for her. She wanted to be angry with him…she _was_ angry with him.

"Well how long are you three here? Of course you'll stay with us?"

Before Rose could politely refuse, Jay had accepted, and they made their way through town to one of the more old fashioned houses on the edge of the city.

-o-

Rose felt distinctly awkward as they sat eating dinner in Jay's family dining room later that evening. She was hardly talking to Jay or Tripp, she and Amy had never exactly been best friends, and she did not know Jay's parents at all. She tried to chat, smile, and swallow her dinner whilst seeming as comfortable as she could, but she couldn't help but wish they hadn't bumped into Jay's mother.

"Do you mind sharing with Amy, Rose?" Valerie smiled as she cleared away the dinner plates, "there's a camp bed, you should be quite comfortable."

"That sounds lovely, thank you," Rose smiled, trying desperately not to convey her horror. Share a room. With _Amy_…

"So…how've you been?" Amy asked, as she handed Rose a spare blanket and pillow.

"Fine," Rose replied non-committally, "how about you?"

"I've been really good actually," Amy smiled, perching on the edge of the camp bed, "I got an internship working at the Pokémon Accessory Design Centre here…you know, for contests and things."

Rose blinked. That actually sounded pretty impressive.

"Wow, Amy, well done – that's really great."

"Thanks," she smiled, "how's the Gym Challenge going? Surely you've just got the one left now?"

"Well, Tripp has. I sort of…stopped."

"You stopped? Are you going to do Medicine then?"

"Er…I guess I might…at some point…"

"But…if you're not doing it now, why did you stop collecting badges?"

Rose shrugged and lay back on the camp bed. She looked up to see Amy glaring at her through fierce grey eyes. Her red hair had grown out of its bob and was held back in a short ponytail. It suited her.

"What?" Rose asked.

"What do you mean 'what?'? I should be the one asking _you_ that!"

"Huh?"

"Don't act stupid, Rose, it doesn't suit you," Amy snapped, crossing her arms over her chest.

Rose felt herself smile for the first time in days.

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"What the hell has gotten into you?" Amy exclaimed, frowning, "you've become all…lifeless! Is it Tripp?"

Rose snorted.

"Okay…not Tripp…someone else?"

Rose glanced quickly at Amy before looking away again just as rapidly.

"Don't worry about it, it's nothing," she said quietly.

Amy glared at her with pursed lips.

"I know we never…got on, but I'm not stupid either Rose. There's something wrong with you, and _I_ reckon you want to talk about it."

Rose chewed on her bottom lip, and her eyes widened as she heard Jay and Tripp laughing about something in the room next door.

"Fair enough," Amy nodded standing up, "can't have a private conversation here," she made her way to her wardrobe and grabbed her jacket. "Come on, let's go."

-o-

They sat together in a bar, sipping at their orange juices (to which Amy had added generous amounts of vodka from her secret hipflask).

"I can't wait to be eighteen," she laughed as she stowed the flask back in her jacket pocket, "I always feel like a tool ordering juice…"

Rose laughed along with her, the alcohol having loosened her tongue significantly.

"It's because you live in a city," she said, "we managed to buy alcohol on the road, y'know, in those dodgy little shops you get in the middle of nowhere."

"Funny. I never took you for a big drinker," Amy said, one eyebrow raised knowingly.

"You're not going to drop it are you?" Rose asked in exasperation.

"Nope," Amy sang happily before taking another swig of her drink.

Rose grinned. She couldn't believe she was actually enjoying herself.

"Okay…okay," she slurred, "I'll tell you_ everything_…on one condition."

"Which is?"

"You're not to judge me."

Amy laughed loudly.

"Come on Rose, why would I judge you?"

"Just ask your saintly brother," she muttered, knocking back more of the 'juice'.

"Has Jay been being a twat?" Amy asked knowingly, "he's awfully good at sticking his nose where it doesn't belong."

Rose couldn't help but giggle. She felt very comfortable, and she felt that she could trust Amy – a feeling that surprised her very much. But Amy was a very sympathetic listener. She nodded in understanding when Rose spoke of her disgust at Tripp ("It was more at him then you, no offence Amy, but then I couldn't care less about what you did or didn't do…"), and she did not interrupt when Rose spoke of her time on the ferry, her time in Azalea, in Ecruteak, what happened with Morty, with Damien, with the letters…

"That's amazing, Rose," she breathed, her grey eyes wide.

"Amazing?" Rose asked, frowning at the unexpected reaction.

"Yes amazing! He loves you…after so little time, that's so…so…so _romantic_!"

"You believe me?!" Rose asked in complete shock.

"Rose, let me tell you, a guy's not gonna tell you he loves you unless he means it…it's not in their nature," she said knowingly, patting Rose clumsily on the shoulder. They were on their third 'orange juice'.

"Nobody believes me, Amy."

"Well I do," she said bluntly, "some things are meant to be Rose…maybe this is one of them?"

Rose was silent as she considered this. Did she really believe in Fate? And if she did, were her and Morty really _fated_ to be together?

"If we're 'meant to be', I don't think it would be this difficult," she murmured.

"I disagree!" Amy said emphatically, waving her half full glass around and splashing juice droplets on the table top, "anything easy isn't worth having…just ask Tripp!" she laughed.

Rose laughed along with her…she was really quite funny, and sweet too, once you got to know her…

"But seriously Rose, it's gotten very messy between you both," Amy said bluntly, "sort it out whilst you can – what's the point in waiting? If you love him...you'll fix this."

Rose's eyes filled with tears and Amy, seeing this, got up and hugged her.

"I don't judge you, you muppet. I've done a lot of thinking since I've come home, and I don't want just anyone, I want someone who truly loves me. I slept with 'just anyone', so how could I judge _you_ for sleeping with someone who loves you, and who you love in return?"

"Amy…I don't know why I didn't like you before," Rose whispered, laughing through her tears.

"The feeling's mutual my dear," the red haired girl giggled, "now, we're going to go home, get some beauty sleep, and make a plan of action in the morning."

"We are?"

"Rose, that Morty is one hot piece of ass – there's no way I'm going to allow you to let him slip through your fingers."

The two girls howled with laughter as they made their way through the busy, lamp lit streets of Annatto city, Rose's heart feeling lighter than it had in weeks.

**AN:**

**Even though it's not really evident in this chapter, I've just realised how many female characters' names begin with 'C': Cris/t,ine, Clair, Chelsea, Candice, Callisto, Cynthia, Carina… (although she is now Bianca! 18/06/15)**

**I seriously need to move away from the 'C' *_* apologies if that got confusing!**

**This chapter was a bit of a filler in some ways, but other parts were clearly very important. Things will be heating up soon, though, and we're not too far from the end…*sheds a tear***

**I'd love to hear from you as ever!**

**Lots of love, **

**A (: x x x**


	32. Chapter 32

"You reckon you'll be okay?" Jay asked, half excitedly, half nervously.

Tripp gave a grim nod and secured his beanie hat over his dark hair.

"Which Pokémon are you going to use?"

"Definitely Jolteon," Tripp grinned, "and if he faints, then I guess I'll use Graveler – I'm pretty sure rock and electricity are going to be my best types against flying."

"Don't forget Piloswine," Jay added, "ice is strong against flying types too, remember?"

Tripp's grin widened. He was feeling strangely confident about this final Gym battle, despite the fact it should be the toughest, being the final step on his journey to the Pokémon League.

He left Jay's house and wrapped his jacket more tightly around his torso. It was bordering on freezing. He smiled to himself and tried to forget the bitingly cold wind – it was nothing compared to Snowpoint City after all. The Gym was not difficult to find, as Jay had implied. Tripp could see why Jay had been significantly underwhelmed by the exterior of Dara's steel bunker Gym in Woodruff City. Annatto City's Gym was ostentatious, much like the city itself. A building, far wider at the top than it was at the base, rose far higher than the other city buildings and, to add to its conspicuousness, it was painted the dusky lilac of a twilight sky, and dotted near the top of it were painstakingly realistic, burgundy-orange rimmed clouds.

Tripp couldn't help but be impressed. This Gym must easily pay for itself. He knew that the more intricately a Gym was constructed, or even decorated, was usually an indication as to the skill of the Leader. The more money they made, and the fewer challengers they lost to, the more time and money they had to spend on making their Gym impressive, and therefore intimidating. Tripp entered the building and looked upwards. There were no floors inside; it was simply open right up to the very top of the building, and running vertically upwards through the centre of this empty space was an upward spiralling staircase that eventually trailed to the left. This staircase, much like an escalator, was incessantly moving towards the top left of the building. Taking a deep breath, Tripp took a step onto the staircase, and thanked God that he had no fear of heights: it was rather a long way up and there were no railings. The staircase finally stopped atop a small platform at the very top of the Gym, on the left hand side of the wall. On the far right, smiling at him, was a woman dressed in a pale blue jumpsuit of sorts. She had incredibly long light brown hair, tied in a plait that fell far below her waist. Her light green eyes were sparkling at the sight of a challenger.

"Good morning - an early riser?"

Tripp gave a half shrug. It was only half past nine in the morning, but he wanted to get this final battle over with – waiting around made him unnecessarily nervous.

"Not particularly," he answered.

"Well the early bird catches the worm…or, as I suppose you're hoping, the Soar Badge?"

Tripp gave a curt nod and the Gym Leader laughed.

"Well I'm not that much of a pushover I'm afraid…my name is Marian," she added.

"I'm Tripp."

"Right Tripp – shall we get started? I am going to use three Pokémon, however, you may use as many as you like."

Tripp grinned: so she thought he was going to be an easy challenge? He'd show her. His confidence mounting, he selected a Pokéball.

"Come on Jolteon!"

The Gym, he could see, was specifically designed for the benefit of flying type Pokémon; the little floor that was available was narrow and twisting – if he was not careful, his Pokémon could lose their footing and potentially sustain a nasty injury.

"I choose Jumpluff!"

Tripp blinked in surprise, he had been expecting a bird Pokémon. Marian laughed at the look on his face.

"Do not forget, Tripp, that flying type Pokémon come in all shapes and sizes!"

Tripp allowed himself a small smile. He wasn't going to let himself be distracted. He realised, however, that this was a clever move of Marian's; being part grass type, Jumpluff was not going to be effected badly by any electric type moves…

"Use Aerial Ace!"

Tripp was caught off guard, and Jolteon was hit by the attack. As he expected, Jolteon merely shook it off: flying type attacks weren't going to affect Jolteon too badly.

"Use Thunder Wave!"

Tripp grinned as his plan worked; Jumpluff's movements became very slow and jerky – it was no longer able to bounce easily across the treacherous floor.

"…Can I make substitutions?" Tripp asked, his face turning slightly pink.

Marian laughed once again before nodding.

"_You_ can, I can't."

"Right…come back Jolteon! Go, Graveler!"

Graveler may be a heavy Pokémon, so Tripp knew he wasn't up to any chases, but he had a good aim and a strong arm.

"Use Rock Throw!"

Jumpluff, due to Jolteon's Thunderwave, was unable to dodge the attack, and came out of it looking very battered and bruised. A small crease appeared between Marian's eyebrows. This challenger had got her in a very sticky situation indeed.

"Come on Jumpluff! Grass Knot!"

Graveler had no means of dodging, as any sudden movements meant he would easily fall over the edge of the path, down, down to the floor far below. Tripp winced as the grass type attack struck his Pokémon and made him reel. He hated having to do this again so soon, but he didn't have much choice – grass type attacks were one of Graveler's greatest weaknesses.

"Come back!" Tripp called desperately, "Go, Piloswine!"

Piloswine was even larger than Graveler, and therefore would find it even harder to nimbly dodge attacks. However, Jumpluff was now very weak, and Tripp hoped one shot would do it.

"Use Ice Beam!"

The attack did what Tripp wanted it to. Slowed by Thunderwave and hurt by Rock Throw, the Ice Beam took Jumpluff down in one hit.

"Not bad, not bad," Marian said, returning Jumpluff, "it only took you two substitutions." Her eyebrows were raised mockingly, but her smile was genuine: she was impressed that he had taken an early lead, "Come out, Noctowl!"

Tripp allowed himself a smile, this was easier - he knew how to deal with bird Pokémon.

"Piloswine – use Blizzard!"

Tripp's smile grew wider as his attack hit, and hard. He liked inflicting damage early on. He wasn't sure if it actually helped the battle, but it helped his confidence, and a lot of battling was down to how positive you were feeling.

"Noctowl, use Hypnosis!"

Tripp snarled. Again, because of the specially designed Gym, Piloswine had no chance of dodging, and fell fast asleep.

"Now use Dream Eater!"

Tripp winced; Marian must be good if she had this tactic under her belt.

"Come back Piloswine," Tripp sighed, he hated this flitting about and changing his mind. He felt as though he couldn't get his momentum up. Although this, perhaps, was Marian's plan…

"Go, Jolteon!"

Jolteon was still in good shape, Tripp was confident he could win.

"Use Thunderbolt!"

Noctowl cawed loudly as it was hit with the electrifying bolt of lightning. It was a strong Pokémon however, highly trained, and it wasn't about to go down from only two attacks.

"Noctowl, Hypnosis, go!"

"Agility Jolteon!"

Tripp should not have been so concerned. Jolteon was his fastest, and his most agile Pokémon – he could easily navigate the treacherous floor without falling.

Noctowl was growing dizzy trying to keep Jolteon in its line of vision, but the electric Pokémon was too fast for it.

"Jolteon, Thunderbolt again!"

Before Noctowl could right itself, Jolteon had struck it and, to Marian's dismay, her second Pokémon was down.

"Well, well, well," she said quietly, surveying Tripp with a calculating look, "someone's taken me by surprise, but this is far from over! Go, Altaria!"

Tripp was impressed against his will. He was pretty sure that Altaria was part Dragon type…this was going to make it very difficult to beat. He was also fairly sure that electric type moves weren't going to help him much here.

"Use Fire Blast!"

Jolteon was down in one. Tripp could only blink in shock. Jolteon wasn't even particularly weak to fire type attacks – this was one tough Pokémon.

"Go, Piloswine!"

Tripp cursed aloud as soon as he made his decision. If Altaria had a Fire Blast that could knock Jolteon out, what on _earth _would it do to the ice type Piloswine? He could see the sparkling laugh in Marian's eyes. She knew he wanted to substitute already. She _expected _him to. Tripp grimaced. His pride would not allow him to act predictably.

"Use Blizzard!"

Altaria was buffeted rather badly, but like Noctowl, it wasn't about to back down so easily.

"Fire Blast!"

Tripp cringed as the inevitable came Piloswine's way. With no real floor on which to dodge, Piloswine experienced the full force of the attack and, as everyone expected, it fainted. Marian had brought it back. Tripp knew he could use more Pokémon, but he didn't want to. He was determined to win using only three, and that left him with Graveler.

"Come on Graveler!"

Marian nodded once. He was going to try and win with three Pokémon only. She must be careful here – he was going to give this his all.

"Rock Throw!"

"Dodge and use Fire Blast!"

"Defence Curl!"

Graveler was unable to dodge the attack, but Defence Curl had reduced the damage significantly.

"Use Dragon Breath!"

"Defence Curl again, Graveler!"

Marian stopped smiling. This was an annoyingly good tactic – it meant Graveler did not have to risk dodging the attacks. It must also be very well trained to withstand an attack from Altaria, reduced in ferocity or not.

"Now use Rock Slide!"

Altaria was hit once more, but it wasn't ready to give up.

"Dragon Claw!"

Graveler grunted in pain but, like his trainer, his pride refused to let him back down. Tripp could sense his Pokémon's stubbornness and took heart from it.

"Come on Graveler! Finish it with Stone Edge!"

Marian wasn't sure if it was the strength of the attack, the strength of Graveler's resilience, or the strength of the bond between trainer and Pokémon, but Altaria was down and unable to battle. She looked across at Tripp who was breathing heavily, his piercing blue eyes glinting in triumph. Marian navigated the narrow, twisting battle ground until she was directly in front of him. Looking up, she smiled at him.

"All I can say is that you fully deserve your eighth badge; that was an expertly handled battle on your behalf."

"Thank you," he said quietly, "I enjoyed it very much."

Marian pressed the oval badge into his hand. It was sky blue, but it shone varying shades of periwinkle and lilac depending on the angle of the light. Tripp pinned it next to his seventh badge and gave a shaky laugh. All eight badges were twinkling up at him. He was finally there.

-o-

"She was crazily talented," he told Jay through a mouthful of rice. He was ravenous after his battle.

"I still can't believe you did it," Jay said in awe.

"Did what?" Amy asked grouchily. She came plodding into the kitchen in her pyjamas, her red hair a mess.

"Have you only just got up?" Jay asked incredulously.

Amy shrugged as she yawned.

"We had a long night."

"We?" Tripp asked. His question was answered as Rose followed Amy into the kitchen, her brown curls spectacularly tangled around her face. Jay and Tripp exchanged confused glances. Had these two spent the evening together?!

"Is there any more of that rice?" Amy asked Jay, moving towards the fridge.

"Er…yeah."

Jay and Tripp watched as Amy fished out two bowls and prepared rice for both her and Rose.

"What were you saying you did, Tripp?"

Tripp wrenched his eyes from Rose and grinned.

"I beat the Gym."

"Eight badges," Rose said softly, "you finally did it."

"It wasn't easy," he said with a sigh, "but I guess if the Gym Challenge_ was_ easy everyone would do it."

The kitchen suddenly fell very quiet. Rose's brown eyes danced with fury.

"Can we eat in your room, Amy?" she said stiffly.

"Course we can," the red haired girl said, shooting Tripp a look of utter disgust.

"What?!" Tripp said, as soon as Amy and Rose had left the room.

"Nice one, Tripp," Jay groaned.

"Huh? What did I do?"

"You just implied that Rose wasn't good enough!"

"Well I didn't mean it like that!" Tripp insisted.

Jay raised his eyebrows in disbelief.

"Okay…I _was _trying to get at her, but I know she's perfectly capable!"

But why were you even trying to get at her in the first place?"

Tripp blushed.

"Tripp!" Jay groaned again, "as much as neither of us like it, we can't keep holding this Morty thing against her! It's turning her away from us…and I don't know about you, but I don't want to lose my friend."

Tripp remained silent. He wasn't sure what to think. He didn't like the 'Morty situation', but he could do nothing about it. He wanted to be friends with her, but how could he when every time he looked at her he could only picture her with_ him_? And he knew deep down that friendship wasn't what he wanted, but until Morty was certainly out of the picture, how was he supposed to go about achieving that dream? In all honesty, thinking about it made his head hurt. All he knew was that he wanted to punish her…what for exactly, he was still trying to figure out…

-o-

"You're going to have to go and see him, Rose," Amy said through a mouthful of rice, "it's the only way that everything between you can be said; I don't think the whole 'back and forthness' of letter writing is going to be very helpful here…"

Rose looked up at Amy from where they were sat cross-legged on her bed, and swallowed her own rice before she nodded.

"I know you're right…but the question is _when_?"

"When? What do you mean 'when'?! What's wrong with tomorrow for God's sake?!"

Rose mumbled to herself.

"Fuck Jay! Fuck Professor Willow and his experiment! Why would they need you anyway, now that Tripp's some supposed 'battling prodigy'?" Amy said scathingly, rolling her grey eyes.

Rose couldn't help but grin. Amy was right. This was her life, and she wasn't going to mess it up because of some experiment that she didn't even care about.

"You're right," she said quietly, "I'll go tomorrow. I'm going to see him."

Rose couldn't help her face unfurling into a massive smile. She was scared about what might happen, but it couldn't override the pleasant ache in her chest at the thought of seeing his face again, and hearing his voice.

Amy squealed in excitement before she leant over and hugged Rose, spilling rice all over the duvet.

-o-

Eusine yawned as he approached Ecruteak City. Looking after Morty was a tiring business. It wasn't that he was a demanding patient, quite the opposite in fact, but he still found it emotionally draining to see his friend so weak, so wretched, and so hounded by those bloody visions that were now coming hard and fast. Morty had not even attempted to leave his bed for the last few days. Eusine couldn't be sure if it was physical weakness or general depression. Even as a young child, when the visions were stronger than he was, Morty was able to have a_ life_, but now they had taken over his life. Eusine couldn't help but feel that the fact the visions were coming harder and faster than ever meant something, and some unpleasant intuition in his gut told him that these visions would culminate in a dramatic, and perhaps eerily final end.

_Please let him be okay, let him get better. He doesn't deserve this. _

He didn't. Morty was the best person he knew. He had never set out to hurt anyone in his life; his heart had always been in the right place. He could be bad tempered…and impulsive maybe (Eusine smiled as he recalled Morty punching Damien), but he was good, and strong. He shouldn't have to suffer like this.

Eusine sighed heavily as he approached Morty's Gym. It looked sad and forlorn. The absence of light made it seem cold and abandoned – which it was, he supposed.

The door creaked slightly as Eusine let himself in the small flat above the Gym. He didn't want to be long; he just needed to grab some more clothes for himself and Morty and then he'd go straight back to Violet City. Eusine stumbled slightly as he made his way over the dark threshold. Bending down, he picked up the letter on the mat, and frowned as he tried to make out the writing. He fumbled along the wall for the light switch and his frown intensified. It was a handwritten letter, not an official looking one. His eyes found the stamp and his mouth fell open. It was from Sesame. He began to panic then: this letter was obviously from Rose. Would it bring good news, or bad? If he gave this letter to Morty, and it was full of love declarations, he had no doubt that his friend would be out of that bed and on his way to Sesame – his health be damned. If the letter did _not_ bear tidings of love…Eusine did not want to think what it would do to Morty in his current state. He fingered the letter nervously, unsure what to do with it. It felt like a time bomb. Was it right to hide it from Morty? And could it possibly be right to give it to him?!

-o-

"And the Gym's all fine?" Morty asked weakly when Eusine arrived back.

"Everything's in order," he smiled tightly.

"Are you sure? You seem a bit odd," Morty remarked, narrowing his violet eyes as he surveyed his friend.

"Me? Nah, I'm fine. The flat and Gym were both fine too."

"Hmm," Morty said, sounding thoroughly unconvinced, as he tried to raise himself up in bed. Eusine's eyes tightened in pain as he registered just how pale his friend became from this small exertion. He was certain he had made the right decision regarding the letter. For now anyway.

-o-

"Professor?" Jay asked, answering the phone.

"Jay – thank goodness – are you with Rose and Tripp? Neither are picking up their phones."

"Er – Tripp's here…Rose is…er…"

"I need to talk to all of you urgently…but there isn't time…oh for heaven's sake…" he sounded very flustered.

"Professor – don't worry about the experiment, we'll be back on it this afternoon –"

"This isn't about the experiment! To hell with the experiment!" Jay blinked in surprise, "Would you believe I got it all wrong?" Professor Willow gave an exasperated chuckle, which was soon stifled.

"Wrong?"

"The experiment, completely unfounded! It turns out…that the Garchomp – oh never mind that for now! I need Rose and Tripp to get to Dill Rook as soon as possible," he said.

"But, Professor –"

"This is of upmost importance Jay! They need to be there, and they must not under any circumstance let anybody enter that mountain!"

"But…why?"

"I will explain all to you very soon, but please Jay, I have never been more serious. Get them there, and get them there now. Do I have your word?"

"But –"

"_Jay_!"

The old man sounded really quite deranged. Jay wondered what on earth any of this could mean.

"We'll be there," he found himself saying.

-o-

"Rose," Tripp gasped as he stood in the doorway of Amy's bedroom. They were currently searching for tickets to Johto on Amy's laptop.

"Yes?" she asked snidely, one eyebrow raised.

"You've got to get ready – we're leaving – now!"

Rose noticed that his rucksack was hung skew-whiff on his shoulder, and he was holding his toothbrush in his hand.

"I don't think so," she said coolly, "and where, may I ask, are you going?"

"_We're_ going," he insisted, moving into the room and grabbing Rose's rucksack, "It's Professor Willow. I'm not really sure what's going on, but he says the experiment's all wrong, but he needs you and me to go to Dill Rook, _right now_, and stop anyone trying to get in the mountain!"

"What?" Rose asked blankly.

"Come_ on_," Tripp said, grabbing her by the elbow. She had never seen him looking quite so panicked, and could feel her own panic setting in because of it.

"Not until you explain!"

"I don't know Rose," he said, looking her in the eye, "all I know is that it's serious and very dangerous – Professor Willow wants us because we're strong – he needs us to guard the mountain!"

Rose looked over at Amy who shrugged.

"Right, okay. I'm coming," Rose sighed.

-o-

Fernando made sure that Charizard landed a little way outside of Ecruteak City. He had never liked drawing attention to himself. His hands thrust deeply inside his pockets, he made his way into his ancient rival city. Fernando couldn't help but give a wry smile. He was not like Lance, who had point-blank refused to acknowledge the legend; Fernando had believed it, certainly, but he had never expected it to erupt in his lifetime. If the outcome weren't so potentially horrendous, he would feel very excited.

He frowned slightly as he passed the Ecruteak Gym, wondering why it was closed. It was fairly common for Gyms to close in October for refurbishment, but with November brought the beginning of the League season, and most Gyms were thriving with challengers.

The city was bigger than he had expected, and he had no idea where to find the Sages, and so, huffing with annoyance, Fernando made his way into the Pokémon Centre.

"Hello! Can I help you?" the nurse asked.

Fernando deliberately did not look at her. He really wasn't in the mood for this right now.

"I need to find the Sages."

"The Sages? They're in the Tin Tower…but they don't normally accept visitors…"

The nurse's eyes widened and Fernando couldn't help but glance up, wondering why she had fallen silent.

"You're from Blackthorn," she whispered.

"How do you know?" he asked, startled, and aware that he sounded very stupid.

"Well, it's obvious, the way you carry yourself, the shape of your eyes…"

Fernando felt himself flush. Of course, those from Johto could recognise a Blackthorn trainer.

"Where is the Tin Tower?" he asked abruptly.

The nurse looked slightly offended, but tried not to show it. Dragon Tamers were notoriously rude and arrogant.

"If you follow the path behind Ecruteak Gym you will come across it. I cannot guarantee you will be permitted entry," she said somewhat stiffly.

Fernando smiled, trying to atone for his previous rudeness, his heart wrenching nonetheless as he took in her uniform.

The nurse looked up at his handsome tanned face, his rueful smile and flashing white teeth, and couldn't help but blush. He couldn't be much more than thirty-five. She wondered if he were single?

Fernando sighed at the blush and left the Pokémon Centre abruptly. That was really the_ last_ thing on his mind.

He passed the closed Gym once again, and took the winding path behind it, through leafless trees, on and on until, finally, the majestic Tin Tower came into view. Fernando couldn't help but feel humbled. This great, ancient building was more than just an impressive piece of architecture. The legend was true, and that meant that this was the resting place of the awe-inspiring Ho-Oh, the beacon of natural Firelight.

Fernando approached the building, and tentatively stepped inside. Fires burned in grates throughout the hall, and he could not help but relax. He would never be able to comprehend his family's fascination with blue Dragon flame. How could it even come close to the comforting warmth of natural fire?

"Good afternoon," he heard a voice say.

Looking to the left, Fernando spotted a middle aged man in a long, grey robe make his way down the wooden staircase. His eyes were alert, and they roved over Fernando.

"You have come from Blackthorn," he said knowingly.

Fernando nodded once.

"You are expected, please…follow me."

The Sage made his way back up the stairs and Fernando followed him, very aware of the clunking his boots were making compared with the soft padding of the Sage's bare feet. They climbed up many staircases, until they reached the top of the lofty tower. In the upper rooms were many other Sages, all dressed in robes of pale grey like Fernando's guide, except for one. His robes were a darker, charcoal grey, and he was much older than the others, his white beard hanging to his navel. Upon seeing the man from Blackthorn, the old Sage stood up and a strange smile passed over his face. He looked both relived and terrified.

"You have come, as we expected."

Fernando bowed to the old Sage and smiled.

"I hear that you have been awaiting my arrival…and yet it was not long ago that I decided to seek you…"

"We have been waiting a rather long time," the old Sage said, "but now the time is ripe. Welcome, Dragon Tamer, my name is Perrin."

Fernando did not believe that now was the right time to announce that he had deviated from the traditions of his bloodline, and did not train Dragons.

"My name is Fernando…may I ask for what reason you expected me?"

Perrin gave a small smile and sighed heavily.

"Why else, but for the legend? The child cursed by Chaos has long since started His dreadful work and now, you have come to Ecruteak, to seek the other child, the child blessed by Firelight…if such a thing can be called a blessing…"

"What do you mean?" Fernando asked, his mouth dry. He couldn't believe how much these men knew. He had been setting himself up for a long explanation, and an afternoon of trying to convince them.

"He is ill, this child. The power of the Firelight is growing stronger inside him as it realises the growing strength of its enemy."

"You know who the child is?!" Fernando gaped. He couldn't help but feel like a cheat – they had already worked it all out and were presenting it to him as though on a silver platter!

"I have long known."

"And does_ he_ know?"

Perrin sighed heavily. This was truly the hardest part.

"He knows nothing. His family know nothing…he is my great nephew…" the Sage said, his voice apologetic.

Fernando's mouth fell open in shock and fury.

"You have known – how long?! And you never saw fit to tell him?!"

"It was never that simple," Perrin said quietly, "it first happened when he was five years old, and then I knew, I knew he was blessed by Firelight…his visions, of light and darkness, his ancient heritage, what else could it mean?"

Fernando remained silent.

"But he was a lovely child, such a happy little boy, how could I tell his parents, tell_ him_ what must happen?"

"So you thought you'd leave it to the last minute?! As though it would make it easier?!"

"It is hard news to break to one that you love…and we do not even understand the whole of the legend! What is a Firemoon?"

"A red lunar eclipse – I'm assuming this child was born during the last one?"

Perrin frowned.

"He is twenty-one years old."

Fernando frowned.

"That's too old, it cannot be him."

"It is him," Perrin affirmed, "Perhaps you should like to meet him? You probably know of him already."

"How can I know of him?"

"He's our very own Gym Leader: Morty."

Fernando nodded slowly. That explained the closure of Ecruteak's Gym.

"He is currently in Violet City with his parents; as I mentioned, the visions are really taking it out of him…the Firelight is feeling threatened," The Sage whispered the last part.

Fernando realised what was happening. This man, Perrin, loved the boy, and did not wish to break the news. That would be down to Fernando. He sighed heavily.

"Please lead the way, this should not wait."

-o-

"Morty?" Isadora whispered, peeping her head around the spare bedroom door. She smiled slightly when she saw Eusine reading to his best friend. He rarely left his side.

"Yes?" her son replied, trying to prop himself higher but giving up in exhaustion.

"There's someone here to see you."

Morty frowned slightly. He might have felt excited, although he knew deep down it wouldn't be Rose, but his mother sounded very apprehensive.

"Shall I send them up?"

"No!" Morty said suddenly, "I'm going to come down."

He didn't like having people gathered around his bedside.

"You can't Morty," his mother said softly, "look at the state you're in," her violet eyes filled with tears.

Morty ignored her and, with a grim effort, he swung his leaden legs from the bed.

"Eusine," he muttered, "can you help me?"

It took a while, but Morty and Eusine finally made it to the living room, Morty's face becoming whiter with each step.

Fernando's brow creased with worry as he surveyed the young man. He certainly didn't look as though he were up to any struggle with Chaos.

"Morty," Perrin smiled, "I'd like you to meet Fernando of Blackthorn City…we…we have to talk to you. It's…this is very difficult…Isadora?" he asked, turning to Morty's mother, "is Hector here?"

Isadora's face turned grey. Who was this strange man from Blackthorn? What did he know about Morty? It couldn't be good news if it meant his father should be present to hear it…

"H-he should be home soon," she said checking her watch, "school ended ten minutes ago…"

She didn't know whether to feel relieved or sick as a key turned in the lock at that moment. The appearance of her husband meant that the explanation was going to begin, and she wasn't sure that she would ever be prepared to hear it.

Hector started upon seeing the small gathering in his living room. Morty and Isadora looked worse for wear, Eusine was looking like a rabbit caught in headlights, Uncle Perrin seemed unusually grave and…who was that strange man with the boots and spiky black hair?

"Hector," Isadora whispered, taking hold of his arm, "they've come to talk…about Morty."

Hector looked over at his son who, despite his exhaustion, looked calm.

"What do you know, Uncle Perrin?" Morty asked quietly. He needed to know.

Perrin's mouth fell open uselessly, and he looked to Fernando with pleading eyes.

"Morty…" the Champion said, clearing his throat, "I'm pleased to meet you, although I'm sorry to hear you're not in good health…"

Morty flashed a smile at the older man.

"I've felt better."

"Your uncle is right, Morty, this…this is not easy news to give, nor is it particularly pleasant."

He sighed heavily.

"Morty – are you familiar with the legend of Blackthorn City?"

Morty nodded slowly, his violet eyes narrowed.

"I…fucking hell - excuse my language, there's no easy way to say this," Fernando ran a gloved hand through his black hair.

Hector felt his arm turn numb from the strength with which his wife was gripping his hand.

"Morty, the Sages believe you are blessed by Firelight. You are one of the children that the legend refers to."

The cosy living room rang with silence. Morty could not seem to find his voice. This was absurd, what was this man talking about?…and yet, when he considered the wording of the legend…

"Then who is cursed by Chaos?" he asked, his chin held high.

Eusine, through his icy shock, could only marvel at his friend's bravery.

"Pascalia. My niece," Fernando said quietly, "she has found the Draco Silicis, and it is believed that she is attempting to break into Dill Rook in Sesame, to capture and subdue the Garchomp…"

Morty felt his blood turn to ice. The Garchomp. Rose was supposed to be experimenting there…

"What do I need to do?" he asked, his voice stronger than it had been in days.

"Morty," his great uncle interrupted, "it is vital that you understand," he turned to Isadora and Hector, "it is vital that you _all_ understand…this legend…the outcome…" the old man could not bring himself to go on.

"My father, the Elder of Blackthorn City, is an expert on Dragon mythology, and he is not certain that by partaking in this…this 'battle' that…that you will survive."

Morty let out a slow breath, and clenched his shaking hands into fists.

"If Chaos's child has her way…what will happen?" he asked; his voice unnervingly steady.

"The world will burn in an inferno of blue flame," Fernando said, very quietly.

"How can you be certain that Morty is the one?" Hector asked: he looked as though he had aged twenty years since the start of the conversation.

Here Fernando looked hesitant.

"I…I was not entirely convinced…you see, my father and I suspected that the child blessed by Firelight would be born during the last Firemoon, or red lunar eclipse…and Morty is too old for that."

"Then…it might not be him?!" Isadora gasped.

"Isadora, it _is_ him," Perrin whispered, "these visions of his only prove it…the Firelight is feeling threatened, and its anger and rage are being channelled through Morty…"

"But then what _is_ the meaning of the Firemoon? Of self-sacrifice...?" Fernando all but whispered to himself.

"What do I need to do?" Morty asked, his eyes hard.

"Don't you even think of going off and –" Isadora began to shriek, tears pouring down her pale face.

"I will need you to come with me, when the time is right," Fernando interrupted, his brown eyes boring into the violet, "to Dill Rook, although I cannot guarantee your safety, or even your survival…"

"I understand," Morty said evenly.

"Morty! Do you even_ realise_ -"

"Ma," he interrupted, "this is my life. This is my…destiny. I have to try."

Fernando nodded in approval. He could see now why Morty was the one: his inner strength was astounding.

"You have to do no such thing –"

Morty stood from the sofa, shocking his parents and Eusine, who wondered where he had found this sudden strength.

"Who am I, who is_ anyone_, to take the fate of the world into their own hands? If I have to die to ensure that millions don't perish…" he took a deep, shuddering breath, "then I don't see that I have much choice."

Ignoring his mother's hysterics, Morty walked out of the living room and up to the spare bedroom, to the shock of all.

Once back in the bedroom, Morty began to pack his bag. He was still numb with shock, but he had been expecting something of the sort. His visions were not normal, their increase in strength had to mean something…and here it was. He was not stupid; he could not deny his mounting fear and hysteria to himself, but this was what he was put here for, this was his path, and his body knew it even if his mind was yet to accept it. He had to try; he was the light against the impending darkness. The feeling was invigorating, terrifying…but he would not dream of balking. How could he be so very selfish, how could he even _think_ of sacrificing the world just so that he need not die alone? He would not let that happen to those he loved, not if he could prevent it. He closed his eyes and smiled slightly to himself. More than anything he wanted to do it for Rose. The idea of her had become more and more unreal to him in these last few weeks, but it had all come back to him, like a blow to the head, when he saw her bright brown, cat-shaped eyes, exactly_ her_ eyes, staring into his from Fernando's face.

**AN:**

**No idea what to say here. I hope you all enjoyed (: and I would really appreciate it if you dropped me a line (:**

**Love A xx**


	33. Chapter 33

Charizard touched down lightly in Blackthorn City, and Fernando returned it to its Pokéball. Breaking into a run, he headed towards Dragon's Den, his head brimming with all he had just heard and witnessed.

Clair, Lance, and the Elder were together in the inner rooms. They all looked up in confusion as Fernando walked towards them.

"Fernando! You're back so soon…" his father's eyes searched his questioningly, "what news?"

"I found him father, I'm almost one hundred percent certain that he's the one…but he was not born during the Firemoon."

"Is the child of Ecruteak?" the old man asked, frowning slightly.

Fernando nodded, but he could see that his father was still unconvinced.

"He has been having visions of light and darkness from a very young age; the Sages there believe the power of the Firelight, of Ho-Oh, resides in him. He is currently weak, but this is only due to confusion I believe, and now that he knows…" his voice broke, "he knows what he must do, his strength appears to be returning."

"But what of the Firemoon? What significance does it have?!"

"I don't know, father," Fernando sighed.

The room fell silent. If they missed something, if they missed an important clue, they knew that the world may perish.

"Who is it?" Clair finally asked, breaking the silence.

Fernando looked over at her and Lance. A Gym Leader and a Champion. Johto was dear to them, just as Sesame was dear to him, little though he showed it. He tried to imagine how he would feel if he were told one of Sesame's Gym Leaders was to die. His brown eyes tight with pain, he spoke.

"It is Morty."

Clair gasped aloud, and Lance's gloved hands curled into fists.

"Morty?" he asked, his throat very dry.

"Not Morty," Clair whispered, shaking her head as her indigo eyes filled with tears, "…are you sure?" she asked her uncle.

"As I said before, it certainly seems that he is the one," he replied heavily.

"And…and how is he?" Lance asked jerkily.

"He…he understands what is required of him and…he is willing. He realises how much rests on him."

Tears continued to leak from Clair's eyes. She had always been fond of Morty – who wasn't? What on earth had he done to deserve this fate?

"We'll have to go and see him Lance," she hiccoughed.

Lance nodded in agreement. He was still in shock…Morty was a good young man.

"But what of the Firemoon?" the Elder whispered.

"What does it _matter_?!" Clair cried, no longer wiping away her tears, "people,_ good_ people, are going to die grandfather! And – and all you can think about is some_ stupid_ wording!"

"Clair," Lance said sternly, "just leave it; you're upset right now, but you have to remember that this is important too…"

Clair did not reply, but stormed from Dragon's Den, her black cloak whipping behind her.

"Fernando…do you believe we should visit him?"

Fernando had sat at the table, and his dark head was cradled in his hands, exhausted from the day's events.

"I…I don't know Lance. This is a delicate situation, but you know Morty better than I do. If you think he would be appreciative…then I think he would benefit from a show of friendship."

Lance nodded curtly, before following his fiancée.

"Fernando, if we miss something vital, we may all perish," the Elder said quietly.

"I know," Sesame's Champion muttered.

"Although perhaps…if we can keep her out of that mountain…"

"Father it's _Fate_! Do you really believe you can thwart it?" Fernando asked exasperatedly.

"I can at least try," the old man replied, his cat-shaped eyes glinting.

-o-

"Can you please just tell me what's going on?!" Rose asked, as she hurried to keep up with Jay and Tripp; their legs were rather longer than hers.

"I've told you," Tripp muttered, wincing as he nearly twisted his ankle, "I _don't know_!"

"All we know," Jay started, desperate to keep a fight from erupting, "is that Clair and Lance were supposed to be guarding Dill Rook, to stop someone breaking in, but that they couldn't for some reason, and that's why Professor Willow wants you two to do it!"

"But if a Gym Leader and a _Champion_ couldn't do it, what chance to we have?!" Rose spluttered, "and why isn't Sesame's_ own_ Champion helping?! And why would someone break in anyway? The mountain's full of fucking Garchomp!"

"Rose, we've told you everything the Professor told us," Tripp sighed as they continued their way down the short, but uneven road, to Dill Rook.

"Well that's not good enough!" she shouted, stopping in her tracks, "why are we always expected to act on a whim? Without being_ told_ anything?!"

"We said we'd help," Jay said quietly.

"With an experiment!" Rose cried, "I don't remember agreeing to this!"

The mountain was in view now. They were only a hundred yards or so from the sealed entrance.

"Look Rose, if you're scared, nobody's stopping you heading back!" Tripp growled.

"I am not scared!" she said hotly, "if you _must_ know, I was planning on going back to Johto today, but instead I stupidly agreed to follow _you_ two into what's probably going to be a fucking _death_ trap –"

"Rose, keep your voice down," Jay said suddenly.

"I will not!" she said, her brown eyes dangerous, "and I'm not scared of this mountain, nor either of you!"

She took a Pokéball from her belt and enlarged it.

"Rose, what are you doing?" Tripp whispered, his eyes nevertheless darting from left to right. Something felt very wrong around here, and he didn't know what it was, but his skin was tingling as though in warning.

"I know you think I'm weak," she snapped, "so come on, let's get this over with."

Despite his unease, Tripp looked over at her in bewilderment.

"What're you doing? Put that away –"

"Don't you tell me what to do!" she snarled, "I challenge you, _now_."

"Rose," Jay said desperately, his grey eyes too scanning the area, "you need to be quiet…"

"I CHALLENGE YOU!" she screamed at Tripp.

They looked over at her, open-mouthed. She looked as though she had lost it; her eyes were fiery with fury and her hair seemed to crackle with electricity. Before Tripp had time to respond, there was an ominous creaking from somewhere up the mountain. Gripping each other in fear, all animosity forgotten, the three teenagers frantically searched for the source of the sound. Rose spotted it first. Looking upwards, she just had time to register a number of boulders crashing down the mountain towards them, before all went black.

-o-

Pascalia started as she heard the shriek from below. Peering over the mountain edge, she saw three figures. She once may have felt curious, and would have liked to have observed them, but those days were gone. The haze, never far from her now, slid into focus, and Pascalia felt her brain freeze in response.

_They are a threat. They are trying to stop us. Stop them. Stop them now._

Out of nowhere, Dragonair was by her side. It nuzzled the side of her pale face, its many teeth bared.

"Use Ancient Power," Chaos's vessel whispered.

Dragonair complied, and a number of boulders hovered unsteadily in the air for a moment, before crashing down the mountain towards the intruders. Pascalia smiled as the felt the freezing hand release her mind. She had done well.

-o-

Jay and Tripp rose shakily from the ground. They did not appear to be hurt, but they were more frightened than ever.

"Rose?" Jay whispered, shaking his friend from where she was still lying amongst the debris of shattered rock.

"Was that a landslide? Or something else?" Tripp asked, his blue eyes wide. He too knelt next to Rose and poked her insistently on the shoulder.

"I don't know…" Jay said worriedly, "_Rose_? Why won't she wake up?!"

Tripp paled upon seeing a cut on her temple.

"She must have been hit," he gulped, glancing up at the imposing mountain once more, "come on, we have to get her out of here."

"Can you carry her alone?" Jay asked, "I'm going to ring for some help."

Tripp nodded and, with difficulty, attempted to lift the unconscious Rose into his arms.

"Wait a sec!" Jay said nervously, the phone to his ear, "what if she's hurt her neck or her back? We shouldn't move her!"

Tripp swore, but nodded in agreement. No more than ten minutes later, they could hear the whirring chop of a helicopter. It landed about fifty yards from where they were, and Jay and Tripp couldn't help but feel relieved as the paramedics came sprinting towards them with a stretcher.

-o-

"Grandfather, we're going to Ecruteak," Lance said, securing his Pokéball belt.

A phone began to ring, and the Elder motioned that Lance and Clair remained with him for a moment.

"Professor Willow?...you're not serious?...dear Lord…right," his face turned very white, "I understand…there's nothing else for it…thank you. Goodbye."

"What is it?" Clair asked nervously.

"Professor Willow's trainers, the ones standing in for you both, are injured. One is unconscious in Annatto City's hospital."

"Which?" Lance whispered, his eyes wide.

"The girl, Rose," the Elder said heavily.

Clair and Lance's eyes met briefly.

"We have to go and talk to Morty, now," Clair told her grandfather, "it's really happening isn't it?"

"It certainly is," he said quietly, "make sure Morty is preparing. It can't be long now. Excuse me, I must find Fernando."

-o-

Hector started as he opened the front door. Staring back at him were Johto's Champion, and his cousin, Clair of Blackthorn City.

"H-hello," Hector said hollowly.

Clair's eyes creased in sympathy. The poor man.

"Is Morty here?" she asked quietly.

"Upstairs," he croaked.

The Dragon Tamers did not press him to talk, but merely followed the direction in which he gestured, and made their way up the stairs.

Eusine jumped as there was a soft knock upon the bedroom door. Glancing at Morty, he stood to open it. His mouth fell open in shock when he saw who it was.

Lance gave him a brief smile, but Clair did not even acknowledge him. Sweeping past Eusine into the room, she made her way to Morty and enveloped him in a hug.

"'Lo Clair," he muttered.

"Morty," she whispered; she couldn't bring herself to say anymore. She just started at him with tear filled eyes.

"Don't sweat it Clair," he said quietly with a half smile, "there's no need to worry."

"No need to worry?" she said, her lip trembling, "Morty…this is –"

"Horrific, I know," he sighed. He looked over at Lance who grasped his hand.

"I'm so, so sorry Morty."

Morty could only nod. He wasn't sure if he wanted them to keep talking, or just stop altogether.

"Are you scared?" Clair whispered, holding his hand in hers.

Morty tried to smile, and patted her on the hand.

"It's…it's not that simple," he said, "I…there's more to it than that."

"You realise you may have to kill her," Lance said, his dark, cat shaped eyes boring into Morty's. Morty was silent for a moment, staring into his eyes, before he came to again.

"It's definitely Pascalia?" he asked, although he was certain he already knew the answer.

Clair and Lance nodded, and Eusine sighed. They had known her as children; she wasn't quite as friendly or as bubbly as Clair had been but still…_this_…

"You're not to feel bad about it," Clair said, trying to sound stern, "grandfather said now that Chaos has taken her over, she's essentially dead anyway."

Morty glanced over at her, and couldn't help but note the pain in her indigo eyes.

"I'm not sure I'm going to be feeling much of anything once it's over," he whispered.

"Don't talk like that," Clair said, her voice trembling, "there's nothing to say you won't come out of this just fine -"

"Clair…" Lance warned. This was tearing him apart too, but they couldn't give Morty false hope. It was worse than cruel.

"It's okay, Lance," Morty said quietly, "I know how this is going to end."

"It's just not fair," Clair whispered, not bothering to stop her tears. She caught Eusine's eye and nodded. His face too was tear-streaked.

"It's the way it is," Morty said firmly; he could not allow himself to think too much, to feel too much, "just think…just think of all those who will be safe…because of me."

Clair snorted.

"What?"

"Well it's not as if she hasn't started already! The blood in the woods, and now that girl in hospital…"

"What girl?" Morty frowned.

"Professor Willow stationed two trainers outside Dill Rook: we couldn't do it because being there turned our Dragonites wild," Lance informed him, "so Rose and Tripp went in our place…but there was an accident – Morty?"

Morty's face drained of all colour.

"Rose?" he croaked.

Eusine's eyes widened. Could this really be happening to Morty? On top of everything else?

"Yes, she's a trainer."

Morty looked wildly around the spare bedroom before catching sight of his rucksack and grabbing it.

"What're you doing?" Clair asked blankly.

"I'm going to Sesame, right now," he said.

"But…why?" Lance asked.

Morty ignored him, and began rifling through the wardrobe for his leather jacket.

"Morty?" a quiet voice sounded from the corner.

Morty spun to see Eusine eyeing him nervously. Clair and Lance were still looking bewildered.

"What?"

"There's something…something I should have given you before. Maybe…maybe you should read it before you go charging off to Sesame?"

"Why're you going to Sesame now anyway?!" Lance asked in exasperation.

Morty did not appear to hear him. He only watched in horror as Eusine pulled a letter from his own rucksack.

"I didn't want you to see it…you were so ill…and God only knows what it says…"

Morty snatched the letter from Eusine, his violet eyes blazing with fury. He did not say a word, but stormed from the room.

"Morty, wait!" Clair called, "what're you _doing_?!"

"That girl, Rose, I...I need to see her. It's complicated Clair, just let me go, please."

Clair blinked once, but then nodded when she registered the look on his face. Who was she to question unconventional love?

"How're you getting there?" she asked suddenly.

"What?" Morty asked; he hadn't expected this reaction.

"How're you getting to Sesame?"

"Er…on Drifblim I suppose…"

Clair shook her head and smiled.

"Lance!" she yelled up the stairs, "come on! We're going!" she turned back to Morty and gave him a scrutinising look, "Come on. Dragonite's much faster, no offence."

-o-

"Why is this happening?" Amy asked her mother as she shoved a few essentials into a rucksack.

"I don't know, dear," Valerie replied, sounding incredibly flustered as she continued to pack a bag for herself and her husband, "but you heard the police, everyone has to evacuate the city."

"But what about Jay and Rose and Tripp? Where are they? Why aren't they coming with us?"

"You know they're doing something for the Professor, Amy. Now stop asking questions and get ready!"

Amy could see the worry tightening her mother's eyes.

"They're in danger, aren't they?"

"Amy I don't know!" Valerie screeched, wiping away her tears with the back of her hand, "Jay insisted he would be safe with Rose and Tripp…I just…I can't think about it right now. We need to leave."

As they left their house they could see that the city was in turmoil. Every house seemed to be in the process of being evacuated. Many people had lost their minds and were trying to bring grandfather clocks, dining room chairs and other large pieces of furniture with them.

"Please, can everyone only bring the necessities with them!" Officer Jenny called through a megaphone, "there will not be room for anything else! Please just ensure that you and your family are safely out of the city!"

Amy's father came jogging over to them, wiping his earth stained hands on his jeans before he took the women's bags.

"What's happening Dad?"

"This is a precaution, apparently something very strange is happening around Dill Rook, they're worried it's going to cause an earthquake, a massive one, so everyone needs to get safely away from the area. I think they're evacuating Dill Town too."

Amy nodded, but she could not ignore the fear tearing at her insides. Where was her brother? And where were Rose and Tripp?

-o-

_They're on to us. They know what we're trying to do. Now is the time. Do it now._

Pascalia screwed her eyes up against the haze. It kept telling her to 'do it', but she didn't know what she was supposed to be doing. She was scared. She didn't want to get it wrong – they had waited far too long for this.

_You do know, you've always known…but now is the time. Now is the right time!_

Pascalia's topaz eyes flew open, and she found herself standing outside the sealed stone entrance, the bag of ice-type Pokéballs in her hand. How did they get there?

_You know what to do._

Pascalia could almost feel the Garchomp raging and screaming on the opposite side of the mountain face. They were ready for her, they were excited. Their time had finally come. Unaware that she was even doing it, Pascalia took her Pokéball from her belt. Dragonair was released in a flash of blinding light. It was furious, she could sense it. Dragonair could feel, could _hear _the cries of its fellow Dragons, and it couldn't stand it any longer.

Pascalia released her army of ice-type Pokémon, many of which recoiled slightly from the fury radiating from the Dragon.

"Use Dragon Rage," Pascalia whispered.

Scorching hot, unnaturally blue flame shot from Dragonair's mouth: the sealed entrance was illuminated, glowing eerily in the twilit sky.

"Now, Ice Beam, all of you," she said quietly.

The haze in the back of her mind sighed coldly in relief. The rock, manipulated by that unnatural flame, shattered when it came in to contact with the ice. Slowly, but surely the sealed entrance began to crumble away, leaving a colossal opening in its midst. The evening was curiously silent. There were no sign of the Garchomp.

_Further in. You must travel further in._

Smiling slightly, Pascalia nodded and, drawing her burgundy cape tight around her narrow frame, she stepped inside Dill Rook.

-o-

Deep purple, angry looking clouds skidded across the sky, darkening the twilight to an impenetrable midnight.

"What's happening?" Lance screamed, as Dragonite beneath him began to panic.

Clair's hands began to shake slightly. She didn't know what this meant, but she was sure it could mean nothing good. She urged her Pokémon to fly faster.

"Clair?" Morty asked quietly, from where he was sat behind her, gripping her waist so as not to fall off the Dragon.

"I'm sorry Morty, I don't know what it means."

"I think I do…I think it's beginning."

-o-

The Elder gripped his youngest son's arm.

"Fernando…" he croaked, "the sky…the clouds…"

Fernando felt as though he had been submerged in icy water.

"She is in."

"But…but –"

"Father," he said, spinning around and gripping the older man by the shoulders, "it. Is. _Fate_! We cannot fight it, we cannot stop it!"

The Elder nodded, but did not release his grip.

"You must fetch Morty," he whispered, "take him to the mountain…I will meet you there. God have mercy on us all."

-o-

Charizard refused to take flight. Its dark blue eyes were wide with fear, and he continued to roar hoarsely.

"Come on, Charizard," Fernando muttered, desperately trying to calm the great lizard, "they're just dark clouds…we need to go!"

Charizard continued to struggle against his trainer, and Fernando scowled before returning him to his ball.

"Come on then, Arcanine," he whispered.

The great dog surveyed his trainer. He had known him a long, long time, and he could see that he was scared. Looking up into the angry sky, Arcanine steeled himself, before lowering his front quarters so that Fernando could clamber onto his back.

"Good boy," Fernando muttered, getting a sure grip of Arcanine's mane, "good boy…now let's go – Ecruteak – now!"

He tried not to think about how he was going to get Morty to Sesame. He'd have to cross that bridge, or ocean, when he came to it…

Fernando swore as he continued to rap loudly on the front door. The lights were all off, but surely they couldn't have gone anywhere?

"Arcanine, break down this door!"

He felt slightly guilty, but he had no choice. He needed to find Morty.

One Body Slam later, and Fernando ran into the quiet house, before swearing more loudly still. The house was quite clearly deserted.

"Morty!" he roared, knowing there would be no answer. The blood began to thrum in his ears, and terror rooted him to the spot. Where had he gone? Without him…without Morty, everyone would die; the whole world would be destroyed. Fernando could not think; panic was clouding his mind. Where could Morty be? What should he do? He pressed the palms of her hands into his eyes.

"Think, Fernando, _think_!"

Running out of the empty house, he vaulted on to Arcanine's back, and the pair were away again, running ferociously under the forbidding sky.

-o-

The interior of the hospital was surprisingly calm, considering the panic outside.

"What will they do with the patients?" Tripp asked.

"I think they're just reinforcing the hospital's walls and foundations," Jay said nervously, "you can't just evacuate a hospital…there're really ill people in here."

They both glanced over at Rose, lying on the bed between them. The doctors didn't seem too worried. She had been scanned, and they just seemed to think she had a concussion. It was just a matter of time before she woke up.

"Is anyone sure what's happening?" Tripp asked, trying desperately to keep the fear from his voice. Jay followed his gaze and saw that it was fixed on the bruise coloured clouds outside the window.

"I don't think so…" Jay whispered back, "Rose!" he said suddenly.

Tripp wrenched his eyes from the window and, sure enough, Rose's eyes had opened.

"What's going on?" she mumbled as she sat up.

Jay gave a shaky, relieved laugh.

"We were at the mountain, and there was a landslide or something…you got knocked out."

Rose frowned as she thought about this. Then it came back to her.

"It was definitely a landslide?"

"That's what they're saying," Tripp said grimly. Rose nodded at him; she could tell that he felt something strange had been going on too.

"How're you feeling?" Jay asked.

"I'm okay…why is it so dark?" her brown eyes widened as she saw the clouds outside the window, "What the hell is going on?!"

There was a knock at the door. Jay and Tripp sat up straight, expecting to see a doctor. It was Professor Willow.

He hobbled into the room, his beady black eyes filled with tears.

"Rose…my dear Rose, are you all right? I'm so sorry…I never meant for you to get hurt."

"I'm not hurt Professor," she insisted, sitting up straighter still in the bed, "what's going on? What happened at Dill Rook? Shall we go back?"

"Calm down, child," he said, "we have much to discuss," his eyes were unusually serious.

"What's happening Professor?" Jay asked, "you said the experiment was all wrong…who is trying to break into Dill Rook?"

"And what the hell is going on with the weather?!" Tripp added.

"I beg all of you to remain silent. I wish to only explain this once."

The three teenagers stared at the old man; they could not quell the rising panic that they felt. Something was seriously amiss.

"I was completely wrong in my theory as to why the Garchomp are acting as they are. It is nothing to do with evolutionary forces…" he took a great breath, "the old legend of Blackthorn is coming true."

All three opened their mouths but Professor Willow held up a finger to silence them.

"Are you all familiar with the legend?"

They glanced at one another and shrugged.

"I know bits…" Jay said uncertainly.

"The uncertainty surrounding the legend is deliberate. It is the Dragon Tamer's greatest fear that this legend would come to prove itself correct…but it all began in August. I am not sure if you remember, it was on the news, but during that month, Blackthorn City was struck by lightning, three times."

The teenagers nodded. They had all seen the news report.

"This marked the beginning," Professor Willow sighed heavily, "the original legend was written in Draconis, the language of the first Dragon Tamers, and so it is not unlikely that some of it has been lost in translation…"

He looked up to see the three of them hanging on his every word.

"In so many words, the legend states that there will be an epic battle between the light and the darkness, Chaos and Firelight, blue flame and red…these legends, for it is widely assumed that Chaos and Firelight are legendary Pokémon, will not fight themselves, but will each choose vessels to struggle in place of them…these vessels, or 'children', are the centre of the legend, one is considered cursed by Chaos, the other, blessed by Firelight. It is an ancient rivalry, one that is believed to have raged between the two great cities of Blackthorn and Ecruteak."

The three teenagers looked confused, and sceptical.

"But…what does it _mean_?" Rose asked. Professor Willow sighed before he answered her question.

"Throughout history, the light and darkness have struggled against one another, neither quite able to take the upper hand. This battle, the one alluded to in the legend, is…the decider, I suppose you could say."

"Well…which is going to win?" Tripp asked. He could not believe he was asking the fate of the planet on which he lived in such a calm voice. This could not be true. Someone, somewhere must have got something wrong.

"The legend does not specify," the Professor said heavily.

"So if the darkness, if 'Chaos' wins…then what?" Jay asked.

"Should Chaos win, the world will cease to exist as we know it. It would go up in a frenzy of blue Dragon flame, all will perish, and Chaos alone will revel in the lonely, barren remains of the earth."

They were at a loss for words.

"Dragon flame?" Rose finally asked.

"Yes, Dragon flame, as I'm sure you know, is blue in colour. It has long been assumed that 'Chaos' is an unknown legendary Pokémon of Dragon type."

"What of the Firelight?" Tripp frowned.

"The Firelight is thought to be Ho-Oh," the Professor said quietly.

"And the…the 'children'?" Jay asked tentatively.

The Professor's face turned very grave.

"The child cursed by Chaos has been operating for quite some time…she has found an extremely powerful crystal…the _Draco Silicis_…it is Chaos's own jewel, and with it, she has complete control over Dragon type Pokémon," he sighed, "that child is Pascalia of Blackthorn City."

"Clair's sister?!" Tripp gaped.

"Not any longer, she is Chaos's vessel now, and must be stopped."

"And…?"

"The child blessed by Firelight is the only one who can stop her."

"But Professor," Rose began, "you just said that the legend does not specify who will triumph?!"

"It is true…however Pascalia must be killed, and the child of Firelight must be the one to do it…tonight."

"But if the Firelight child kills her, surely the light will win?!" Tripp insisted.

The Professor took off his thick bifocals and began to polish them slowly on his white lab coat.

"Whichever force wins…the Elder of Blackthorn believes both 'children' must die…it is the only way."

Rose, Tripp and Jay fell into silence.

"Who is the other?" Jay asked quietly, "The child of Firelight…do we know?"

Professor Willow sighed.

"It is Morty. Morty of Ecruteak City."

The three men jumped as a piercing scream rent the air.

"Rose!" Professor Willow spluttered, "What on earth is the matter?"

Jay and Tripp could only stare at her with ashen faces and wide eyes.

"No," she said, shaking her head and covering her ears, "no, no, NO!"

She leapt out of bed, a sob catching in her throat. She didn't know where she was going, or what she was doing. She needed to get out, she needed space to think…or never think again.

"Rose, get back in to bed! You're not well -" Professor Willow insisted.

Rose ignored him, and continued to sob as she pulled her boots on. Morty, her Morty. Did he know? Was he aware what was expected of him? That after tonight he would cease to exist…?

She began to hyperventilate. He could not die. He could not throw himself in the path of danger like that. It couldn't be him, he was _Morty_, not some great part of an ancient legend – he was hers, and he was bright, he was warm, he was _good_…

She crumpled in a heap on the floor as it hit her. He _was_ bright, and warm, and good and so many other things. Of _course_ he was blessed by light, by something greater…by Firelight, by _Ho-Oh_…

"Rose, get up off the floor, get back in to bed," Professor Willow said, desperately looking to Jay and Tripp for help. They were still at a loss for words, frightened by the outburst of raw emotion coming from her.

Rose stood up, tears coursing down her face. She had not seen him. She had not told him what he meant to her, and now she was never going to see him again.

"Where is he?" she asked the Professor, her voice trembling.

Professor Willow surveyed her in confusion. What was she doing? Why had she lost all control?

"I – I don't –" the old man spluttered.

Rose shook her head and made to storm from the hospital room, but she was knocked backwards as someone collided with her. Someone had been running as fast as they could in to the room that she was running out of. Staring at her intently, he knelt down and silently offered her his hand, his eyes never once leaving hers. Upon pulling her up, he crushed her to his chest and held her there tightly. Rose sobbed uncontrollably against him, her hands desperately gripping the front of his jacket. One look at his face, one look into his violet eyes, and she knew that what the Professor said was the truth.

He stroked the dark hair from her hot, wet face, and tried to make her look at him.

"Rose," he whispered, stroking her cheek with his finger, "stop crying, I want to talk to you."

Jay looked away. He could not bring himself to intrude on something so intensely private. Rose could not seem to speak; she could not master herself, and continued to cry hysterically into Morty's chest.

"I-I-I'm s-so s-sorry," she sobbed, gripping him all the harder, "I n-never m-meant to hurt you -"

"I know you didn't," he whispered as he continued to stroke her hair, his own tears streaming down his face, "Now shh, stop crying Rose, I want to see your face."

But she continued to cry, apologising over and over as her shoulders shook with grief.

"Stop it," he pleaded, kissing her forehead, "I don't need your apologies…I understand…I don't even want to talk about this right now…Rose?"

She looked up at him, and Morty couldn't help but smile into those cat-shaped brown eyes that he had missed so much. He moved over to the hospital bed and sat down on it, pulling her to stand between his legs as he rested his hands on her upper arms, completely oblivious to their audience.

"Are you all right? They said you were hurt?" his violet eyes bored into hers.

"I'm fine," she whispered, her lip trembling, "I just passed out…"

They continued to stare at one another, neither sure how to start.

"You need to stop crying," he said quietly.

"H-how can I? W-when –"

He pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"This is hard enough," he whispered, "and I'd like to see you smile again before…I need something to get me through this."

Rose collapsed forwards against him from where she was standing. She could not bear to hear those words. Especially not from his mouth.

Tripp had had enough. He stood up, his blue eyes blazing.

Morty watched him walk towards them, eyes narrowed. So this was Tripp. He placed Rose gently on the bed, and before she could question him, he stood up.

Tripp was taller than him, but Morty was broader, and there was a fire in his violet eyes.

"What do you think you're doing?" Tripp hissed.

Morty raised his eyebrows questioningly, but waited for Tripp to elaborate. Tripp took a step closer to Morty, so that he was offensively close to his face.

"What right do you have to come here, after what you _did_ to her? And now you're upsetting her, like she needs it!"

"And what, exactly, did I do to her?" Morty asked, his voice trembling with fury.

"Both of you stop, right now," Jay said warily, making to stand up.

"You know what you did," Tripp snarled.

Morty laughed coldly.

"Actually I don't, but seeing as you're so knowledgeable why don't _you_ enlighten me?" he spat.

Rose could only gape at the two of them in anguish, tears pouring down her face.

"You slept with her!" Tripp roared, "and you _obviously_ didn't _use_ anything!"

Morty pinched the bridge of his nose. He was here to see Rose, not argue with this immature idiot. But Tripp's inflection made him start. He looked over at Rose, his eyes wide, his face pale.

"Are you?" he asked quietly, taking her hand in his.

Rose shook her head, her eyes filling with tears at the love still evident in his.

"Can we leave here?" she whispered, grabbing hold of his jacket once again.

"With pleasure," he snapped, glaring in Tripp's direction, "and let me tell you," he whispered, moving over to Tripp once again, who recoiled at the look of wild recklessness in the Gym Leader's face, "you're lucky I'm going to die tonight, because otherwise I would be back for you."

The Professor squealed at the rawness of the threat, but Tripp and Jay could only watch open-mouthed as Morty led Rose from the hospital room, their hands tightly clasped.

As soon as they were out of earshot he turned to her, and cupped her face in his hands.

"You're not pregnant?"

Rose couldn't quite read the emotion in his eyes; it was like fear, grief and longing rolled into one.

"No," she said shakily, her tears running onto his fingers. Morty nodded slightly, his eyes downcast.

"There's a two percent failure rate…but I should have been more careful anyway…"

"What?" she asked, tearfully. Where had this even come from? Why were they talking about this? As if it_ mattered_.

"Magost Berries," he sighed, "they're a natural contraceptive and I…I always eat them for breakfast," he gave a shaky laugh, before his face fell, "Rose…I'm sorry. I didn't want any of that shit to happen back there, I…I just want…I don't know…" he slid to the floor, his face held in his hands. Rose knelt next to him. An hour ago she would have given anything to see him, but now…she would happily never see him again if it meant he remained alive and well.

"I'm scared," he said, looking into her eyes, "I haven't told anyone, but I'm terrified."

She hugged him close to her, but could not bring herself to speak, and yet more tears fell from her eyes as she inhaled his warm, spicy scent.

"I'm not afraid of dying…" he said quietly. Rose pulled away in shock and stared at him, "I'm just scared of missing out on _life_…of everything I want. It's like I'm on an unbelievably short road, and all that's left at the end of it is darkness…" his eyes bored into hers, "is it really terrible that I wish you were…pregnant?"

Rose shook her head and allowed herself a smile, wretched though she felt. He was going to be ripped from her life, ripped from his own…she couldn't help but wish she was carrying the proof of their love, a part of him she could always keep.

Morty sighed and pulled her towards him. Together they sat in silence on the floor of the dark, hospital corridor, both unable to comprehend what was happening. Rose lay against his chest, listening to the strong, rhythmic beating of his heart. She couldn't bear that he was soon to become just a memory to her; that he would cease to smile, to laugh, to _live_.

"I never told you about my clairvoyance," Morty whispered into her hair, "and I couldn't exactly tell you in a letter…this is why it's me…I've been chosen for this since birth…it always had to be me…"

Rose was silent, but he knew she was listening. He told her everything, sat on the hard, cold floor. In spite of the turmoil inside him, he couldn't help but feel his heart lighten. It was a perfect tonic, pouring out your soul to the one you loved.

"I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you," she whispered. She could never forgive herself for this. She had let him down, and now she would never have the chance to make up for it.

"It's not your fault Rose," he sighed, closing his eyes wearily. He could feel his heart beating wildly against his ribs and vaguely wondered how many beats it had left. There were so many things he wanted to say to her, but he had no idea how to start.

"The last letter I wrote you…" he said quietly, "I didn't mean it. I was just angry at the situation, not you."

"I'm sorry I didn't respond sooner," she whispered, her eyes beginning to sting from the amount of tears that passed through them, "I just…I didn't know how to –"

"Shh, shh…don't bother justifying it. I don't want to – I don't_ need_ to hear it…" he pulled her letter, still unopened, from his jacket pocket.

"Y-you didn't read it?" she hiccoughed.

"I didn't need…"

He trailed off, and his body slid awkwardly against the wall he was leaning against. Red-orange flame, furious, unyielding, flashed before his eyes, determined to illuminate the darkness.

"Morty?" Rose whispered in fear, as she desperately tried to right him. Why was this happening to _him_ of all people? But his eyes fluttered open, and he sat up shakily, before taking her face in his hands.

"I need to go there…now," he said.

He stood up, his face pale, but his eyes set with determination.

She could not bear the way he was looking at her, she could not fathom that that this would be the last time she saw him alive. Rose could feel the blood coursing through her veins, and her heart was beating uncomfortably in her throat.

"I'm coming with you," she heard herself saying.

"No. You're not."

"Yes I _am_," she insisted, standing up, "And you can't stop me."

"_How _could I let you go there?" he shouted back at her incredulously.

"If it were the other way around," she said quietly, her voice shaking, "if it were me, would you let me go alone?"

"No, but –"

"So there's your answer."

She glared at him, her eyes hard.

He opened his mouth to argue, before he shut it. He knew he shouldn't let her, but he didn't want to face it alone. He nodded once. Taking her hand he led her from the hospital, out under the ominous sky.

**AN:**

**Golly. I'm really at a loss as to how to sum this up. It's all happening now. Any thoughts or ideas? Any complaints? (; I'd love to hear it all!**

**Also quite a large something was revealed in the very last line of the previous chapter! If you don't remember picking up on it, I suggest you read that final line again – carefully! It was really a big plot twist! (:**

**Love A xxx**


	34. Chapter 34

The sky darkened as soon as she appeared to cross the threshold of the mountain's entrance. It was unexpectedly quiet; she had been expecting hordes of the Dragon type Pokémon the moment she went in, but there was no sign of life whatsoever. The inside of the mountain was dark, damp, and wholly ordinary. Pascalia's slit-pupil eyes narrowed as she glanced about her.

_Keep going…further in…they're waiting for you._

This time the icy cold pressure did not leave her brain, and Pascalia found herself being unconsciously led through the mountain, down a long, winding, and narrow path. A steady plink of water droplets could be heard falling from the low, rocky ceiling and splashing upon the ground. The temperature decreased dramatically as Pascalia and the malignant spirit within her continued to make their way further into the mountain, but she did not feel it. Her reptilian blood, as cold as her surroundings, pulsed through her veins as her heart rate increased in excitement. The Crystal hanging around her neck burned with a white hot heat; it could sense the presence of the Dragons. As she rounded a particularly tight corner, she came upon them. In a low chamber, as wide as the mountain itself, they were gathered. The Garchomp were lying low to the ground as though preparing to do her obeisance, their heads tilted upwards and their yellow eyes gleaming through the gloom.

Shaking slightly from awe, Pascalia moved further towards them. Slowly, and reverently, she extricated the Draco Silicis from underneath her cape and smiled as the chamber was suddenly illuminated, and the yellow eyes of the Dragons shone green in the reflection of the blue light.

"_I have come_," she whispered in the ancient language. The Dragons continued to breathe hoarsely and heavily, never taking their eyes from her. Before them they could see a slim, young female, but they could sense the power within her, the power He exuded.

Suddenly, the ice-cold within her brain increased fiercely, and it was then that she realised it wasn't cold at all; it was unbelievably, scorchingly hot. Chaos used her body to speak his own words.

"_You have long been patient, but the time has come. Come with me and incinerate the world. Come with me and mankind will suffer. Come with me and the revenge you desire will be yours_."

The Garchomp began to roar in earnest, rising to their feet and stamping, causing the mountain floor itself to shake. Their master was here and they were to be freed at long last. Pascalia smirked at their reaction, and held out her first Pokéball. The Garchomp did not appear to expect a challenge. They came to her in an almost orderly fashion, their heads bowed against the blinding light of the Draco Silicis, before they submitted themselves to being encased in their Pokéballs.

The chamber seemed strangely small in the absence of the Garchomp, but Pascalia did not linger to observe it. She had work to do - this was only the beginning. Turning on her heel, she began to walk briskly back through the tunnel that led her here – but she could not. The air had solidified somehow and, try as she might, she could not pass.

Screaming in fury, Chaos's vessel continued to kick and claw at what appeared to be thin air, but it would not give. She released Dragonair, but no amount of Dragon flame could penetrate this strange force. Garchomp, too, was unable to burrow underneath the tunnel entrance and so she remained alone and in silence, waiting. What she was waiting for, she had yet to find out.

-o-

"Wh-what – w-who – w-who was that?!" Professor Willow spluttered.

Jay looked over at the old man incredulously.

"Professor that was Morty," he sighed.

"_Morty_? B-but Rose?!"

"They're together," Tripp said very quietly, frowning to himself.

Professor Willow blinked very rapidly.

"They're…what now?"

"She loves him," Jay said.

"And he loves her," Tripp added, stunned. His eyes met Jay's briefly, and understanding passed between them.

Professor Willow's face turned very white.

"That poor girl," he whispered.

Jay and Tripp nodded, both feeling very shamefaced indeed. It was strange what ceased to be important, daily annoyances and problems that completely vanished when faced with the imminence and inevitability of death – be it their own or not.

Professor Willow took out his phone and began to dial.

"Who're you calling?" Jay asked in confusion.

"We don't know what's going to happen at the mountain…what reinforcements may be needed…" he said, sounding suddenly business like, "if Pascalia has the Garchomp under her control, God only knows what will – ah Cristine! It's urgent. You know what's happening, can I rely on you to round everyone up?...thank you Cristine…as quick as you can…thank you," he put the phone down, "it has begun," he nodded to the bewildered boys.

-o-

Lance grabbed Clair's shoulder, and pointed skyward in response to her questioning look. High above Annatto City's streets, hardly discernible against the deep purple clouds, was a dark shape that appeared to be spiralling erratically downwards.

The young Dragon Tamers continued to watch the shape, ignoring the strange looks their long, black cloaks were attracting from the last evacuees of the city. Before long, their grandfather came into view on the back of Salamence, his long white hair ruffled from the flight.

"Are you all right grandfather?" Lance asked, moving to help the old man dismount. The Elder did not need assistance however, and smoothly slid from the back of his Pokémon.

"I'm fine," he said briskly, returning Salamence to its Pokéball, "although I'm not entirely sure how Fernando is going to get here…" he glanced up at the sky, "Salamence was most unhappy flying under these abominable clouds…"

Lance and Clair nodded in understanding: their Dragonites had been very hard to control once the purple clouds moved over the sky and obscured the sunlight.

"Do you know why the clouds –?"

"She is in the mountain," the Elder said baldly, "and now we must go there - right away."

"How can we?" Clair asked, her eyes wide with panic, "if we go there, we will have no means of defence whatsoever! Our Dragons will not only be useless, they will turn against us!"

"Can you please get moving?!" a voice sounded over a megaphone as the ground began to shake. The Dragon Tamers looked over at the Police Officer in surprise, "we're trying to organise an evacuation here!"

The three grumbled indignantly as they were shunted out of the city streets: despite the seriousness of the situation, Dragon Tamers had never taken kindly to being treated like ordinary citizens.

"We'd better get going," Clair said grimly.

Lance nodded in agreement. As their Dragons were unusable, they would have to make the journey to the mountain on foot.

"Will you be okay, grandfather?"

The Elder shot his grandson a contemptuous look, and Lance couldn't hide his guilty smile.

"I am perfectly able to walk, thank you Lance," he said stiffly.

Clair and Lance grinned at one another behind his back. Their grins soon faded, however, as they panted to keep up with the breakneck pace with which their grandfather was barrelling down the uneven road to Dill Rook.

When they arrived, red faced and out of breath on Clair and Lance's behalf, they were surprised to see helicopters circling the mountain, as well as a sizeable group of people. The Elder scowled.

"The press," he spat, "just what we need…"

But as they approached the base of the mountain, one of the people ran towards them, her short blond hair ruffled by the high winds.

"Lance! Clair!"

"Cristine!" Clair gasped, "what're you doing here? Who else is with you?"

"I rounded up everyone that I could," the Elite Four member said, chewing nervously on her lower lip, "Lux, Veronica, and Petar were obviously ready to step in, and…and Candice was with me already."

"N-nobody else wanted to help?" Clair asked worriedly. They weren't entirely sure there was anything they_ could_ do, but it wasn't particularly confidence boosting when zero out of eight Gym Leaders were willing to offer their services.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a motorbike skid into their midst, and off it jumped a young woman. Ripping off her helmet, she revealed her long, ash blond hair, and her violet eyes which were bloodshot with tears.

"Where is he?" she gasped, looking desperately over the group, "where's Morty?!"

Cristine ran forward and embraced the Gym Leader, her own eyes filled with tears.

"Callisto, he's…he's not here yet."

"Where _is _he?!" she cried, "I need to see him, I need to…" she broke down on Cristine's shoulder, and all of the other trainers looked away nervously. It made it far more real to realise that Morty was not just 'the child blessed by Firelight', he was a real person and he had friends, family…a _life_.

"What are we to do?" Candice asked quietly, as she approached the second group. She felt slightly nervous around all of these trainers that she did not know, but she desperately wanted to help.

"Whatever we can," the Elder told her, attempting to keep his voice steady as he looked away from Callisto, "we must wait for Fernando and Morty, and once they arrive –"

"Wait - what do you mean grandfather?" Clair asked frowning.

"Fernando has gone to Ecruteak, to bring Morty back with him, he should be here any time now."

"Morty came with us…" Lance said slowly.

"Came with you? Here?! And where is he now?!"

Clair and Lance both shrugged, before looking at one another guiltily.

-o-

"Come on Drifblim," Morty muttered as he desperately attempted to calm his Pokémon. Try as he might, Drifblim refused to take flight, visibly panicking at the alarmingly purple sky.

"We're going to have to go on foot," he said, turning to Rose, his voice breaking. She took his hand tightly in hers, but said nothing. She seemed to be in shock; she knew that Morty had no choice but to do this, but every fibre of her being was screaming at her to stop him. But she couldn't. Despite her anguish, she helped him onwards, leading him ever closer to his end. They began to run, their feet echoing loudly on the empty, silent streets of Annatto City.

As he pulled Rose along with him, Morty felt unbelievably alive: it was impossible to believe what he was running towards, that he was effectively shortening the time he had left on the earth – but his legs would not stop pumping. Rose's hand was hot in his and he remembered, in a rush of madness, the one night they had spent joint together. Whatever he had told her, there was no way he was going to allow her to enter that mountain with him; he could not endanger her in such a way, and there was no way he was going to allow her to watch him –

He frowned to himself as he continued to push his body, ignoring the aching in his legs and his lungs. This was his destiny, yes, but this was also his life. As long as she was there waiting for him, he could not walk in there with the aim of ending it. It may be fruitless, but he had to try. He would do anything he could to get out of that mountain alive.

-o-

Fernando vaulted from Arcanine's back and ran directly into the Tin Tower – he had no care for niceties at the moment. He sprinted the eight floors to the top of the tower, clutching at the stitch in his side when he finally got there.

"Fernando," Perrin said fervently, moving towards him, "have you any news?"

Fernando glanced up to see Morty's parents staring at him, their faces a greyish white.

"Where – is – he?" he panted.

"He's gone," Hector whispered, "he went with two of your people…"

"He _what_?!"

"Clair and Lance…they took him to Sesame this afternoon…"

Fernando slapped his palm against his face and roared in frustration. Why on earth had they done such a thing? Where had they taken him? And _why_?!

"Why? Why did they take him?!" he asked, his brown eyes crazed. If anything went wrong…

"I don't know," Isadora said quietly, "we didn't get to talk to him…not really…"

"And why are _you_ here?! Why are you not in Sesame? Why are you not with your _son_?!"

Isadora opened her mouth, but could not speak. Perrin and Hector shot Fernando warning looks, but he did not stop.

"He is going to die! He is going to cast his own life away, for the sake of yours! And you can't even bear to be _with _him?!"

Fernando shook his head in disbelief. He knew it was rich to lecture anyone on selfishness, but this was different, this was a matter of life and death…and what would become of their son's body without them there to retrieve it? Assuming there would be enough of a body to collect…

"Leave them be, Fernando. This is hard enough for them already…" Perrin muttered, tears leaking from his eyes.

Fernando pulled at his hair in frustration, before, in a brainwave, he approached the old man.

"May I have your belt, please?"

Perrin blinked, wondering if he had misheard, but Fernando's face was completely serious, and his gloved hand was outstretched.

"B-but why?"

"I have no time to explain," the Champion said through gritted teeth.

Perrin untied the grey belt of cloth around his robed waist and handed it to the younger man. Fernando could not bear to say anymore - these people had clearly made their decision. He ran from the room as fast as he could and all but flew down the eight floors, before he exited the building and released Charizard once again. Leaping onto the fire Pokémon's back, Fernando tied the grey belt around his eyes so that Charizard could no longer see.

"Do you trust me?" he asked.

Charizard gave a hoarse roar and nodded, his large wings trembling slightly nonetheless.

Fernando nudged the Pokémon's sides with his heels, and together - Charizard braver due to his inability to see the menacing, purple sky - they took to the air, Fernando leading by touch.

-o-

Hope sighed as she sat heavily back on the sofa, a hot cup of tea in her hands. She had had a gruelling day, filled with many critical, medical emergencies, and she had been looking forward to taking the weight off her feet. The house was very quiet: Mona had decided, after two months, that she no longer wished to study nursing in Chicory Town – it was 'too quaint'. She had signed up for a course in the Sage City Pokémon Centre, and had moved back home. Hope didn't mind necessarily, but it truly made her realise how much she missed Rose. She couldn't deny that she had been hurt at first, that her daughter had not contacted her, but she supposed, from experience, that it must be the nature of Pokémon journeys…perhaps there simply wasn't time to call home? She quickly turned on the television: it would do her no good to start thinking about her husband now.

She soon pushed him from her mind when she tuned in to the news station. There seemed to be a report on Dill Rook: lately there had been much coverage of Dill Town and Annatto City, for the earth tremors had been increasing in strength and frequency once again, but it was unusual to see the mountain itself on television.

"…can't give any more information at this time," the newsreader was saying, "nobody seems willing to comment about what exactly is going on here. It has been confirmed that Annatto City and Dill Town have been evacuated, but for what reason we are yet to learn. The Dragon Clan from Blackthorn City are also at the base of the mountain," Hope sat up straighter and squinted at the television, but she could not recognise any of them - the helicopter cameras were too high, "which is causing quite a bit of panic: people seem to believe that their appearance is something to do with the legend of Blackthorn, these rumours obviously being abetted by the weather reports of lightening in August…"

Hope frowned to herself as she sipped at her tea. What on earth _were_ the Dragon Tamers doing in Sesame? Standing up, she moved to the kitchen to stir the soup, but dropped the spoon with a clatter upon the kitchen floor. The early evening sky outside was an ominous, blackish purple. Out of nowhere she could hear his voice, telling her with awe what was believed to happen someday.

"_And then the sky will turn purple; an impenetrable, deep purple, and that's how they'll know that Chaos is ready, that He's waiting for the Firelight…"_

"_And then what?"_

"_Then the battle begins," he whispered, smiling, his brown eyes far away, "and that'll be the decider, Hope. If the sky turns red, fading into the pink of a summer sunset, then they'll know that the Firelight has prevailed…if it changes to blue – not just any blue, but a deep, electric blue – and the winds pick up, then all will be lost, and they can only await the flame…"_

Hope looked back to the television, her face a mask of horror. He had always made it sound like this would be far, far in the future, long after their time…but it was certainly happening and, unless she was mistaken, it had already begun.

-o-

Across the ocean, Eusine sat alone in Morty's flat. The lights were all off, but the television lit the small living room with a brash, colour-draining light. He watched the news report through lifeless eyes. He wasn't entirely sure why he came back here, as this was no longer Morty's flat, really. Tears rolled down Eusine's cheeks as he thought of his friend, his very best friend. Eusine had barely spoken since Fernando and Perrin had informed them of Morty's fate, and he felt pathetic. Morty himself was able to get up, get going and pursue what he wanted with the little time he had left, but Eusine…Eusine could not bring himself to function. He hadn't even been able to say goodbye and here he sat, consumed with regret and guilt, waiting for the news of his friend's death. A part of him, and it was growing into a very large part of him, wished that Morty would lose so that they could _all _die. At least that way he wouldn't have to think. Eusine gave a half laugh as more tears leaked from his blue eyes. If there was one thing he was sure of, it was that Morty wouldn't fail at a task he wished to succeed in.

-o-

The Elder shifted his weight impatiently from foot to foot. Where was Fernando? Had his son even managed to leave Johto? And where on earth was Morty? If he did not arrive soon…he could not bear thinking about it; he could feel the sweat beading his back and settling uncomfortably against his shirt. Trying to ignore it, he took to scanning the skies once more. He, Clair, Lance, and Callisto were standing at the entrance to the mountain, guarding it just in case any reporters or journalists decided to try and get in; they had no idea of that truly lay inside - that it was more dangerous than the raging Garchomp combined. Cristine and the others were stationed at various points around the mountain, just to be on hand in case help of any kind at all was needed. The perilous winds continued to blow, and the three Dragon Tamers had to clasp their long cloaks tightly around them so as to prevent them being ripped off altogether. The entrance to Dill Rook gaped at them, but none could master the courage to peer inside, and they all stood facing away from it, the hairs on the backs of their necks on end. They were all aware that just by being there they could be at great risk, but they would not leave.

Callisto suddenly gasped as two figures appeared on the road facing them, running as fast as they could towards the mountain. The Elder glanced at Tarragon's Gym Leader and knew from the way that her shaking hand was covering her mouth that her cousin had arrived at last.

Callisto launched herself at the young man, and sobbed against his shoulder. The Elder surveyed him, and noted with gratification that his violet eyes were glinting with a steely determination. Morty absentmindedly stroked his cousin's hair as she continued to wail, but he only had eyes for the entrance of the mountain.

"Morty," the Elder said, moving towards him, "she is in there."

Morty took one look at the forbidding sky and nodded once. He took Callisto by the shoulders and shook her slightly.

"Stop it, Listo. Don't make this any harder, please. It has to be done, and I…just don't. Please."

The last word was whispered.

She opened her mouth to argue – but then, just like that, she composed herself. She took a deep breath, and she stared into her cousin's eyes. Giving him a tight hug, she held him close to her for a moment, before she stepped back again. Morty nodded at her appreciatively, and managed to give her a small smile before he turned to the other girl next to him, the one who had been with him on the road.

"Rose," he said heavily, "you're not coming in," he took her hands in his and gripped them tightly.

Her mouth fell open, and she pulled her hands away in shock.

"Yes I _am _Morty," she said obstinately, her brow furrowed.

Morty turned to the three Dragon Tamers, the desperation evident in his eyes.

"Tell her," he pleaded, "tell her she's not to come."

"I _am_ coming Morty! I don't care _what _you say!"

The Elder blinked as he properly looked at this girl for the first time. The unrelenting stubbornness in her voice was eerily familiar. His heartrate increased as he took in the set of her jaw, and her clenched fists; there was a determination in her that was rare to see, and her eyes…the Elder reeled as he looked into her eyes. They were a bright, blazing brown, and the edges…the edges turned upwards, just like a cat's.

"Tell her she's not coming!" Morty repeated, glaring at the girl with a determination almost equal to hers.

"How old are you child?" the Elder asked quietly, still gazing intently into her face. He could hear a roaring in his ears. Was this the answer?

"I'm seventeen! But I'm not too young! He's _not_ going in there alone!"

The Elder nodded slowly.

"Seventeen…which month?"

Rose glanced over at the strange old man as though he were quite mad. Why on earth did it matter when her birthday was?!

"This month - November," she said quickly, turning to Morty as her eyes filled with tears. Her voice took on a desperate tone, "Morty _please_, you said –"

"Let her go with you," the Elder said calmly, shocking everyone into silence.

"W-what?" Morty gasped, spinning towards the old man furiously.

_Firemoon, self-sacrifice, purity of heart._

"If she wishes to go…I think she should be allowed to…"

"Grandfather -" Lance began, sounding strangled, "grandfather – what?!"

"How can you _say_ that?" Morty raged at the Elder, "_how_ can you tell her to go with me?! You _know_ what's waiting for me through there –"

The Elder merely sighed. Fernando was right. You couldn't thwart Fate – what was going to happen was going to happen - and everything happened for a reason.

An ear-splitting, crashing rumble of thunder rent the air, and all those standing at the mountain base jumped in fear.

"It is time," the old man whispered.

"I'm coming Morty," Rose said quietly. He stared into her eyes and felt his breath catch slightly. Cold with fear, and against his better judgement, he found himself nodding. Together they made their way into the mountain and, to the astonishment and horror of all, the entrance sealed itself once more as soon as they disappeared through it.

-o-

The winds around the mountain, coupled with the chopping of the helicopters, were making Charizard extremely agitated, and Fernando's face was screwed up with effort as he desperately tried to navigate the great lizard Pokémon to the ground. He finally managed it, and returned Charizard quickly to its Pokéball in an attempt to eliminate his stress. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Fernando raced towards the mountain entrance where, to his relief, he spotted his father, Lance, Clair and Callisto.

"He wasn't there!" he panted, glaring at Lance and Clair, "his parents said you took him?! Where is he?!"

"It's okay," Lance said shakily, "he's gone in, he's in the mountain."

"They both are," Clair muttered, but Fernando did not hear her. He was staring at the entrance.

"Why is it sealed? How did he get in?!"

"It re-sealed itself after they entered," the Elder said calmly.

"Callisto," Fernando whispered suddenly, turning towards her, his voice heavy with pain as he grasped her slim hand, "I'm so sorry."

"Morty has incredible strength of mind," she said quietly, the ghost of a smile on her face as her tears continued to fall.

"Fernando – a word if you please?" his father asked. Fernando frowned slightly, wondering what could not be said in front of the other three. They were all in this together after all. Nobody was saying it, but it had essentially turned into a waiting game: if they won, they would live, if they lost, they would burn.

The two men moved a little further away from the others before the Elder spoke.

"The Firemoon," he started, staring straight ahead, "neither Morty nor Pascalia were born during it. What, then, can it mean?"

Fernando raised his eyebrows: he could not quite make out the tone in his father's voice. It certainly wasn't genuinely questioning; if anything, he sounded slightly sarcastic.

"I-I'm not sure, father."

"I told you, that in the Blackthorn Census, there were no children born during the Firemoon."

"Right…"

"And you agreed with me that there were not."

Fernando nodded slowly, wondering where on earth this was going. If he was honest he wasn't really listening – he was still addled by the relief that Morty had made it to the mountain.

The Elder pierced his youngest son with a fierce glare.

"Was that true, to the best of your knowledge?"

"Ye–" Fernando started before cutting himself short. Something triumphant flashed in the Elder's eyes.

"Because there _was_ a child of Blackthorn, born on that night seventeen years ago, wasn't there?" his father asked softly.

Fernando could feel the blood drain from his face as he stared at his father. How could he know? And how could he, Fernando, have let that date slip his mind?

"You have a daughter."

This was not a question.

Fernando closed his eyes, and his breathing became shallow.

"How did you find out?" he asked quietly.

"Quite by accident, I assure you," the old man said indignantly, before his tone softened, "there is a lot of you in her, I could see that right away."

Fernando gave a small smile, but his father noted the despair in his brown eyes.

"She did not know me, Fernando," the Elder said levelly.

Fernando looked up, before closing his eyes in anguish.

"No," he said quietly, his hands shaking as he ran them through his hair. Suddenly, he began to scan the area, his eyes wild with fear, "Where is she?" he whispered; he didn't think he could bear to face her, that he even had the _right_.

The Elder sighed heavily before he spoke.

"She has entered the mountain."

"She – what?!"

"She was born during the Firemoon, she must be the key…" he whispered, imploring his son to understand.

"The key to what?!" Fernando roared. His daughter, his only child…

"I-I don't know," the old man admitted, "but she loves him, Fernando, she was adamant that she be with him."

All Fernando's relief rapidly disappeared as he contemplated the danger that his daughter was now in.

"But what's going to happen to her?!"

"I don't know," the Elder said shakily, "I just don't know…"

Fernando suddenly turned and ran back to the mountain entrance, his eyes crazed as he released Arcanine. He had once sealed the mountain – surely he could break it down?

"Fire Blast! Now!" he screamed.

Clair, Lance, and Callisto tried desperately to physically restrain the Champion, but his fear and anger were making him ferociously strong. Arcanine began to growl loudly upon seeing his beloved trainer being manhandled, and the others backed away in fear.

"He won't hurt you," Fernando muttered quietly as he came to his senses. He sank to the ground, and his face held in his hands. Had he not been telling his father this all along? That Fate would run its course and could not be thwarted?

Arcanine continued to pace in front of Fernando, his eyes still bright in warning.

"What's going on?!" Clair asked, panting as she straightened her cape.

"It has come to light that Rose was born during the Firemoon," the Elder said quietly.

"Rose?" Lance asked in confusion, "but she's not -"

"She is Fernando's daughter."

It took a moment for it to sink in, but when it did Lance and Clair's mouths fell open in shock.

-o-

Rose gasped as the mountain sealed itself behind them. Morty spun around and began to desperately push at the unyielding wall, but to no avail. That was it. They couldn't escape…_she _couldn't escape. The tunnel they had stepped into was plunged into complete darkness and Rose, despite her despair, felt her nerves come alive. His hand brushed against hers in the darkness, and she grabbed hold of it, pressing her body into his. It was madness, she knew, as their lips met, and yet she could not bring herself to pull away. He was so very warm, so very real, so very _alive_. She poured herself into him and he into her. She could feel the muscles of his arms under her roaming hands, and the planes of his cheekbones under her fingertips as she ran her hands through his long, soft hair.

He couldn't seem to let her go. His world had become a tumbling mess of darkness, but she made it bright again. If he were to die, could he not have one last experience of sunlight? He held her close as he kissed her, trying to memorise every angle, every curve, the feel of her body against his own, and the taste of her lips upon his. She made him feel whole, and completely himself - and he wished to God that she had not come with him.

Gasping, they pulled apart, unable to see each other in the pitch black tunnel of the mountain. Morty removed his hands from her waist and took hold of her face, kissing her softly on the lips, before he rested his forehead against hers. Then, their hands clasped tightly, they made their way slowly and steadily through the narrow tunnel, feeling their way through by running their free hands over the rough, damp stone walls. The only sound that could be heard was their tentative footsteps. Morty felt that if he opened his mouth, he would begin to scream and would not be able to stop.

It wasn't long before the pitch blackness, which had been sinisterly pressing upon their eyes, lifted slightly. Rose glanced to her left and thought that she could just about make out Morty's profile. It was a strange, subtle light, blue in colour. It almost felt as though they were deep under water.

Morty began to squint as the blue light grew brighter. The tunnel had been long and nightmarishly dark, but his eyes had become accustomed to it. He could feel the panic rising like bile in his throat, but he managed to choke it back. Rose's warm hand in his, he knew, was the only thing that made this treacherous walk bearable. The tunnel twisted sharply and very suddenly, and Rose and Morty stopped dead as they found themselves facing an archway, which opened out into a low and wide chamber, lit artificially with an ethereal, blue light. She was standing there with her back to them, her thick, straight hair brushing her shoulder blades, and the end of her long, burgundy cape gathered in a pool at her ankles. As though she sensed their presence, she turned slowly on the spot, her reptilian eyes glowing menacingly. Morty squeezed Rose's hand once before he let go, and made his solitary way through the archway. Rose tried to follow him, but the air was somehow solid – try as she might, she could not pass through it and so instead, she watched as he made his way slowly through the chamber towards Pascalia, his shoulders squared defiantly. No words were spoken; the two vessels merely stared at one another, each waiting for the other to make the first move. The chamber rang with silence, and Rose could only watch, her grief beyond tears, as Morty stood facing his end. She gasped as he suddenly seemed to glow with a red-gold outline; Pascalia hissed and took a step backwards – and then it began.

Both vessels took a bracing step backwards, as though they were straining to remain upright against an invisible force, and Rose stared as they both struggled to keep their footing. She had no idea what was happening, this was nothing like she had expected. Pascalia and Morty were still standing on opposite sides of the chamber and yet, somehow, the battle had begun.

-o-

It was like a fire in his brain, _two_ fires, each desperately trying to gain the upper hand over the other. He could feel the great phoenix taking over his body, but it was not feeling of submission. The beacon of natural fire within him burned, flaming forwards furiously as it obdurately raged against its rival flame. Morty had not been made aware of what he was supposed to be doing, but this was an instinctive battle, and he did not have to think. He knew what he must do to triumph, and he threw himself into it, mentally fighting the oncoming of the blue fire in his mind.

Chaos snarled as He took over the mind of the girl once again. The Firelight was strong, stronger than He had anticipated, and it was taking everything He had, everything the _girl _had, to keep it at bay. But this was the final struggle, the final battle in the war, and there was no way He was going to lose it.

Morty shouted out subconsciously as the blue flame made a great surge forwards in his mind. He could feel his nerve endings blistering with an unholy heat, seeming to freeze as well as burn, as Chaos began to take the upper hand.

Despite the resolute effort that she was exuding, Pascalia managed to smile through her gritted teeth as the orange fire leapt backwards in her mind, unable to either find a way around, or smother, the Dragon flame.

Rose watched, wide-eyed, as thick, choking smoke seemed to pour from Pascalia's cloak. It hovered menacingly between the vessels, before it slowly began to take shape. Higher and higher it rose, morphing, more like liquid than smoke, into a semi-discernible shape, lean of body, long of tail, and appalling sharp of tooth and claw. Glinting through the black smoke, which appeared to be becoming more and more solid by the second, were a pair of perilous amber eyes. Rose's scream died in her throat as she beheld this creature – it was like nothing she had ever seen, like nothing anyone should _ever_ have to see. Chaos.

Behind his tightly closed eyes, Morty also could see the dread creature. The orange flame had been forced to the very edges of his mind, and the unnatural blue rejoiced as it took over his brain, drowning his senses and eliminating all hope. Still battling against the invisible force between them, Morty opened his eyes, and recoiled in terror when he saw that the creature in his mind was very much real. Chaos's mouth leered into a grin as it surveyed its nemesis, and Morty, in a surge of defiance, slipped back into his head and connected once again with the great phoenix. His adamance and determination to succeed caused Pascalia and the malevolent spirit to stagger. Natural flame once again struggled its way to the forefront of Morty's head and, his eyes screwed tightly closed, and his jaw clenched in exertion, he fought back the unnatural fire, gasping and shouting out in pain as he did so.

Rose inhaled sharply as she realised that the unknown entity was no longer advancing towards Morty. It seemed to stumble backwards, roaring savagely as it did so, its outline becoming less substantial as the floor of the mountain began to tremble and groan. Morty was stood with his fists clenched; his teeth were bared and sweat was pouring down his face. His eyes were still tightly shut, and Rose began to shake as she realised what must be coming.

Pascalia's mind was now swirling with red-orange flame. It blinded and scorched her simultaneously. She could feel the Draco Silicis burning icily hot against her skin, but she could not seem to raise her hands to dislodge it. Her mind was no longer her own, it had been taken over by the Firelight, and yet she found herself hoping that the consuming haze would not fight back - she wasn't sure she could bear the pain. But suddenly, her mind revealed a deep, dark, tunnel. There was no sign of any heat in there, and Pascalia, in relief, allowed her mind to tumble gratefully into it, and the Draco Silicis smashed to powder underneath her cape.

Morty continued to hold the Firelight in his mind, obscuring the blue flame completely. It seemed to have disappeared, but he knew he wasn't to take any chances. He felt his legs attempting to collapse beneath him, but he held himself steady, marvelling that he was still alive, the pain he could feel radiating through him only confirming this. Still gasping from the effort, Morty noticed a dark tunnel in his mind that shimmered through the orange flame. He did not want to pass through it, but every nerve in his body screamed at him to let go of the Firelight and make for the tunnel. His efforts were stalled, however, as the Firelight left his mind itself, leaving only the darkness behind it. This darkness was not frightening: in contrast it was velvety soft, and promised calm and complete absence from pain, but still Morty refused to pass through it. He fell backwards to the ground, wheezing as he tried to keep the air flowing through his lungs. As much as he did not want this, he realised that this was how it was supposed to be, how it _had_ to be.

-o-

Rose staggered forwards as the solid wall of air seemed to disappear. The chamber was eerily quiet, but for Morty's rasping breaths. Rose barely glanced at the shell of Pascalia, whose yellow eyes stared open with a chilling finality. She ran towards Morty, kneeling beside him in the dim, damp chamber.

His eyes fluttered open as he felt her hand on his hair and he attempted to smile at her.

"Rose," he croaked quietly, paling as he tried to breathe normally. He could not, however, and his hands grasped at his throat.

Rose leant forwards and kissed his forehead gently; she could not believe he was still alive, that he was going to be okay after all. Her eyes filled with tears as she gazed down at him, knowing that now they had all the time in the world. There was no sign of the black smoke creature, but she still didn't like being in here; the thought of Pascalia's prone, lifeless body, lying directly behind her, was more than she could bear. She took Morty's hand in her own, and smiled, before she made to stand up.

"J-just promise…me," he whispered, raising his hand with difficulty to grasp hers.

"Shh," she said, as she shuffled closer to him, brushing his sweaty hair from his unusual eyes, "save your energy; I'm going to get you out of here."

She made to take a Pokéball from her belt; Donphan would probably be the most useful in moving him. But Morty took her hand away from her belt and shook his head slightly as his breath rattled through his lungs with difficulty.

"You can't…thwart Fate," he said, closing his eyes once again: the effort was becoming too much, but he needed her to understand that much at least; he had _tried_.

"Promise me you won't…won't forget me…"

He attempted to smile at his mock dramatics, at his attempt to lighten the hideous situation, but his eyes opened once again and held hers; they were full of love, and full of regret for the things he knew he could never have. He sighed as her own eyes widened in shock and anger.

"_Don't_ talk like that Morty! I'm going to get you out of here, you're going to be fine -" her voice broke.

"Rose," Morty managed to gasp, as his breathing becoming shallower; he had to let her know, whilst he still could, "your father…I know -" a bubble of blood formed at the corner of his mouth and burst, staining his lips and chin.

"What?" she cried desperately, holding his face in her hands, and gazing desperately at him, "what're you talking about? Morty? _Morty_?!"

She leant back stiffly in shock, stricken as his violet eyes drained of life, and the hand upon hers slackened and fell limply to the ground. Shaking her head in denial she threw herself across him, burying her face into his neck, her body racking with silent sobs as she held him close. Her fingers began to cramp from the strength with which she was holding onto him, but she did not, _could _not loosen her grip. She felt his skin begin to cool as the life faded from his body, and she lay her head across his chest, the way she had done so many times before, whilst listening to his heartbeat that now ceased to sound.

She was not aware of how long she lay beside him, but when she finally arose, she could barely breathe for the empty, all-consuming ache in her chest and throat. She gently closed his eyes with shaking fingers, and tenderly wiped the blood away from his mouth with her sleeve. Leaning forward, her teardrops falling onto his cheeks, she kissed him one final time.

-o-

The helicopters had long since abandoned the mountain, and the four Dragon Tamers of Blackthorn stood facing the sky which had turned a victorious blood red.

"He has done it," Clair whispered, her pale face streaked with tears.

Fernando nodded jerkily. The red sky was unrelenting and furious, but this was clearly a triumphant day for the Firelight. In the west, the sky faded to a peach-like, pale pink, and the ruby red sun could be seen setting over Sesame's sparkling, Western Sea. Callisto stood a little distance from the Dragon Tamers: she needed this moment to herself. She bit down hard on her lip as memories of her younger cousin ambushed her mind. She had loved him fiercely, and she knew that his fate had not yet sunk it. She could only hope, with all her heart, that he had not suffered. Tears spilled down her cheeks as she glanced up at the sky. What she wouldn't give for him to be watching this sunset with her.

The light had been victorious, but they could not rejoice for, despite the redemption of their own lives, they could not forget what they had cost: two had had to die tonight to ensure their own hearts kept beating…

The Elder frowned as something hovering near the entrance of the mountain caught his eye. It looked to be the size of a raindrop, but it was a droplet of fire. Nudging his Clan he pointed at the phenomenon and they all made to move towards it.

"No!" Fernando shouted, his eyes wide, "Move back!"

This they did, startled by his sudden outburst.

The droplet of flame continued to burn brightly against the stone, before it began to grow rapidly. Within moments, the mountain entrance was illuminated by a great, flaming fireball. The longer they stared at it, mouths agape, the more they began to see. There appeared to be a dark shadow within those flames, shimmering in the unbearable heat. With a great, melodic shriek, the flames burst outwards into the night, and the personification of Firelight was airborne in their place.

The great phoenix's eyes were bright with conquest, and as it flapped its enormous wings, facets of rainbow hued light shimmered on the evening breeze.

"Ho-Oh," Fernando breathed in awe.

They all flinched physically as the legendary force spoke directly into their minds:

_Chaos was defeated this night, and yet he whom I chose, my warrior of light, too perished in the struggle. And yet one remains, one with the purity of heart and strength of spirit to invoke my power. She has never realised her significance, but _you_ always knew, although you only now realise it._

Ho-Oh turned to Fernando, and fixed him with a piercing stare.

_Born of the Firemoon, on that one holy night, only she possesses those qualities to call upon me…and I have come. Rejoice, now, mankind, for the world awaits you, whole and unblemished by Chaos's foul hand._

The great phoenix gave another mighty shriek, and before the Dragon Tamers could fathom what had happened, Ho-Oh disappeared once again in a blazing ball of yellow-orange fire, leaving the mountain open once again behind it.

The Dragon Tamers stared, open-mouthed, as the legendary Pokémon disappeared before their eyes. None could bring themselves to speak, not being entirely sure what they had just witnessed. Lance was the first to come to his senses.

"Was that…what I think it was?" he asked in a remarkably calm voice.

His grandfather cleared his throat, an astounded, yet triumphant, light in his hazel eyes.

"So it is her," he said quietly, looking over at Fernando, whose usually tanned face was an alarming shade of white.

"And…Morty?" Clair asked, although she thought she knew the answer.

"You heard Ho-Oh," Lance said quietly, his voice hollow.

Clair gave a brief nod. She knew it was the truth - she just couldn't bring herself to believe it.

"And Pascalia…their bodies…?"

"We can't leave Rose in there alone," the Elder said heavily, "come on."

Fernando did not budge. His father stopped and turned back to him.

"Fernando?"

"I-I'm not coming in," he said, looking away.

"Fernando, she's your daughter," the Elder said softly.

"And I have not seen her since she was five years old," he said, his voice breaking and his eyes anguished. Clair and Lance glanced at one another in nervousness.

"All the more reason to see her now," his father said sternly, moving towards his son.

"Father – father _please_." Fernando begged, stepping back, his brown eyes wide, "I…I just can't…I need to…" he took a deep breath, "someone should inform Morty's parents."

Before they could stop him, he had released his Charizard and, without a backward glance at his family, he took to the skies in a great gush of air.

The Elder sighed deeply in disappointment before he turned to his eldest grandchildren.

"Let's go, quickly."

Together the three made their way through the tunnel, having no idea what to expect at the other end.

**AN:**

**I'm really not sure what to say here. I'll leave it to you.**

**P.S. Gree – thank you for the review, it meant a lot (: I'm just sorry I can't reply to you properly!**

**Love A xx**


	35. Chapter 35

Rose sat alone with the dead, shivering slightly in the cold, damp chamber of the mountain. She had placed Morty's head gently upon her lap, and stroked his dark blond hair, his eyelids, and his lips gently with her fingertips. She couldn't help but smile to herself as she took in his face: she had been yearning to see it for so long, and now she could not bring herself to look away. Her mind had formed a wall of sorts around itself, and she refused to look past it. She knew that once she let him go, it would be the end, and she would never hold him again. And so she sat with him, holding his cold hand in one of hers, and wishing in an inexplicable way that this horrific moment would never end. She noticed, with a frown, that his face, which at first she had struggled to discern in the gloom, was becoming clearer. She could see his lighter strands of hair glinting gold, and his cheekbones were now casting shadows upon his cheeks. Glancing upwards she started. Hovering above him, and growing ever brighter, was what appeared to be a droplet of fire. Rose frowned as she surveyed it, before glancing around the cavern in confusion. She was quite alone; the figure of Pascalia had not moved – her yellow eyes still wide open and staring. Rose turned back and continued to watch the fire droplet, and her frown intensified as she realised that it was moving slowly downwards, towards Morty's body. She gently lifted his head from her lap and attempted to blow out the flame. But nothing happened. Swatting at the air only caused her to burn her hand, despite the fact that she was nowhere near close enough to sustain such an injury. She began to panic then, the blood draining from her face, because she could not shift the unbearably hot flame, and it was now a mere half metre from Morty's chest.

"No," she muttered desperately as it landed over his heart. She attempted to smother the flames once again, but pulled her hands back, sucking on them in agony. Tears filling her eyes, she could only watch as his thin, grey t-shirt began to catch and smoulder, and in a sickeningly short amount of time, his body was completely consumed by the roaring flames. Was it too much to ask that she sit with him for a while? Could she not even take her own time to try and accept what had happened to him? She stepped back from the inferno, a sob tearing at her raw throat as she watched him burn.

Footsteps, three pairs of them, came pounding along the mountain tunnel and into the cavern. The Dragon Tamers gasped as they caught sight of the fire, and shielded their faces from the heat. Lance came to stand beside Rose as Morty's body continued to burn, his hand resting comfortingly against her back. He could not begin to imagine, nor did he want to, how he would feel if it were Clair's body burning upon the mountain floor.

Clair and the Elder rushed over to Pascalia's body. What they were doing to it, Rose did not know; she could not seem to take her eyes from the fire in front of her. In an anguished limbo, she could not bear to see, but could not bring herself to look away from, the remains of he whom she had loved. A few minutes passed before she realised that Clair and the Elder were also stood behind her, all four of them gazing upon the blisteringly hot, smokeless flames. And then, seemingly out of nowhere, as quickly as they started, the flames burnt out. Rose blinked in astonishment when she saw that the flames had not left behind charred remains: Morty looked quite as undamaged as he had before the flame droplet had appeared. Beginning to sob again, Rose launched herself at him, unable to comprehend why he was whole, only overwhelmed that he was – that she didn't have to say goodbye just yet. In her desperation, she had not noticed what the others had.

"Rose - get off him," the Elder said sharply and urgently.

Rose shook her head where it was pressed into Morty's neck. She was not going to leave him again.

"Come on Rose," Lance said softly but firmly, as he tried to lift her off - but she refused to budge, her eyes closed tightly as she held fast to Morty's t-shirt.

"Rose there isn't _time_," Clair insisted, as she began to assist Lance, "we have to get him out of here, _quickly_, whilst he's breathing."

-o-

_Coward. You're a coward._

He knew it, but it didn't prevent him abandoning the mountain, and getting as far away as he possibly could from half of the reason for his long-settled guilt and shame.

He flew at breakneck speed across the vast ocean, unable to even revel in the fact that he was alive, that Morty had effectively saved them all...had Rose loved him? Is that what his father said? Fernando scoffed to himself. She was better off without him, without _anyone_…he had loved Hope, and yet it hadn't done her any good in the end…Fernando's tears froze on his cheeks as Charizard continued to flap its great wings, sending powerful gusts of air backwards over his trainer. How had he made such a mess of his life? He had had everything, without realising it, and he had thrown it away as if it were nothing. How could he face either of them ever again? He did not deserve their forgiveness – assuming they'd be willing to give it. He couldn't help but smile at his father's words; so Rose was a lot like him…she had always been a stubborn child, apparently that hadn't changed. The smile fell from his face, however, when he realised that his father knew more about his own daughter now than he did. He didn't really need to go to Johto – not right now, but had needed space – air. He clenched his fists in frustration when he admitted to himself that the place he really wanted to be, he had just flown away from.

Suddenly, out of thin air, or so it appeared, two large shapes materialised next to him. Fernando gaped in confusion as he realised that these shapes were Pokémon; a Drifblim and a Gengar. They fixed him with piercing stares, Gengar grinning as he did so, as they flew alongside him.

"W-who are you?" he spluttered, gripping hard onto Charizard's neck lest he fall off in shock.

They did not answer; they only sniggered, before turning their attention back to flying.

_Morty…didn't Morty train ghost types?!_ Fernando found himself thinking. But if these were his, what were they doing? It was common knowledge that Pokémon tended to follow their trainers into the afterlife – assuming the bond was strong enough – otherwise they released themselves back into the wild, if they were not passed over to somebody else…

Fernando could make no sense of it, but the ghost Pokémon continued to follow him for the whole journey, buffeting each other playfully, but ignoring the Champion completely.

When Fernando touched down a few hours later in Ecruteak City, the red sky had morphed into the usual black of a winter night, and the inhabitants seemed peaceful, clearly having no idea just how narrowly they had avoided death. He started to make for the Tin Tower, as that was where he had last seen Morty's parents, but the ghost Pokémon began to tug at his clothing, insisting that they follow him.

"What on earth are you up to?!" Fernando asked in exasperation, "were you even Morty's?!"

They rolled their eyes at him, Gengar still grinning, as they all but forced him to the Ecruteak Gym.

"Look, I know this was your home…but…well -"

They Pokémon sniggered again and Fernando found himself growing annoyed. He had never liked ghost Pokémon – they were badly behaved and ill-mannered if not handled properly. They kept pulling at his clothes and tugging him until they rounded the left hand side of the Gym, where Fernando spotted an outdoor staircase, leading to the top floor.

"What's up here?" he asked.

Drifblim and Gengar did not respond, but continued to shove him up the stairs. Fernando hesitated as he reached the black front door. Could this be a trap? Were these really Morty's Pokémon? And if so, what the hell were they bugging him for?!

The door was unlocked, and Fernando pushed it open tentatively, strangely apprehensive as to what he was going to find. He blinked when he saw what the open door revealed. It was a small flat, well-furnished and comfortably lived in. On the brown leather sofa were three figures, surrounded by cardboard boxes. They all turned sharply to stare at him as he walked into the flat.

"Fernando," Isadora breathed, her voice hoarse.

Hector stood abruptly and came to stand before the Champion, his blue eyes lifeless. Fernando clasped his hand hard and bowed his head. Isadora buried her face in her hands, but she could not seem to shed any more tears.

"He did it then?" the third figure asked quietly.

Fernando glanced at Eusine before sighing and nodding.

"He did."

Hector gasped as Drifblim and Gengar floated into the flat, making themselves at home, and beginning to take Morty's things out of the cardboard boxes and returning them to their proper places.

"W-what?" Eusine gasped, wide-eyed, "_Why_? Gengar and Drifblim – did _you _bring them?"

"They followed me," Fernando frowned, "they led me here…"

"But…why are they…_huh_?" Eusine looked completely stumped as he surveyed his friend's Pokémon, who looked perfectly content.

"Well…I assumed it was because they're ghost type…maybe death doesn't affect them as it does other types?"

But Hector was already shaking his head.

"They are affected the same as any other type…"

"But Morty is…are you sure he's –?" Eusine could not bring himself to say that word.

Fernando nodded heavily.

"Ho-Oh appeared, and told us –"

"_Ho-Oh_?!" Hector exclaimed, his eyes wide.

Fernando nodded once again before running his hands through his hair.

"Ho-Oh said his 'warrior of light had perished in the struggle'…I came to get you," he said evasively, "his body –"

Isadora gave a great shuddering gasp. She couldn't bear it. He was her little boy; he should never have died before her.

"We have to go, Dora," Hector said, his eyes filling with tears, "we can't leave him…"

Drifblim and Gengar suddenly stood to attention, gesturing that the adults grab a hold.

"W-what are they doing?" Isadora said tearfully. Being confronted with her son's life work was too much.

"I think they want us to…grab hold?" Eusine said disbelievingly, but the ghost Pokémon nodded.

"You can't fly on ghost type Pokémon…" Hector said warily, "well, maybe Drifblim – but Gengar?"

"This is Morty's Gengar," Eusine said with a half smile, "he's no ordinary ghost."

He had seen Morty ride his Gengar many times – his clairvoyance had certainly made his training very beneficial.

"They want us to go to him…to bring him back," Isadora whispered.

The ghosts rolled their eyes once again, but continued to urge the humans onto their backs.

"Now?!" Hector gasped.

"Of course," Fernando frowned. He was still very confused – had the ghosts followed him just to ensure that Morty's family came back with him?

The ghosts were becoming impatient; Drifblim swooped and caught Hector on his back, just as Gengar did the same to Eusine. Both men blanched, neither having ridden a ghost before.

"Come on Isadora," Fernando said quietly; he couldn't bear to think what she was going through, "you can come on Charizard with me."

-o-

The heart monitor continued to bleep rhythmically, but it wasn't registering in Rose's mind - nothing was. She felt unbelievably cold and sick, but she couldn't seem to open her mouth to tell anyone. She had not moved from his bedside, and could not tear her eyes from the rising and falling of chest. Why was he breathing? He was dead. He died in her arms. She felt the claustrophobic ache surge from her chest to her throat once again, but it ceased when she reminded herself once again that he was _breathing_. Dead people didn't breathe. She half expected it to stop, for his chest to fall still and the monitor to cry out in a single monotone…but it didn't. He lay there with a tiny crease between his eyebrows, but he did not stir. Rose wanted to reach out and touch him. She thought, maybe, if she could feel his skin, his _warm_ skin, she might believe it, but she was frozen where she sat, her stomach rolling and her head aching.

"…she's in shock…" she heard someone say, but she did not process it properly, "he should be waking up soon…just his brain protecting itself…most likely, yes…"

Morty took a great breath, the condensation misting his oxygen mask, but still he did not wake. A lock of golden hair shifted and fell into his eyes, but Rose could still not move her hands to push it back. The ache was returning, but this time she couldn't seem to choke it back. She bit down hard on her lip to stop herself crying out. She knew if she did that she would wake and, torturous though this dream was, he was at least alive in it. His hand twitched, or so she thought. She stared down at it, golden brown against the stark white hospital bedding. Her eyes lingered on the needle secured into his hand by translucent hospital tape. It seemed all very vivid for a dream. She deliberately stopped herself thinking along these lines. If she realised she was dreaming she was sure to wake up, and she did not want that, not yet. She returned her attention to his face, and the ache intensified. He did not look peaceful. His forehead was puckered slightly and his eyes appeared to be moving behind his tightly closed lids. They opened in a flash of violet.

Rose reeled and clutched at her heart in shock. She felt the blood physically drain from her face, and so she leant forwards with her head between her knees, willing herself not to pass out. This dream was cruel. She wondered whether it was wise to prolong it; how could she cope with reality when her subconscious was desperately trying to convince her he lived?

"Rose?"

She couldn't help but look up. He was trying to dislodge his oxygen mask with difficulty. There were slight indents in his face where it had been tied too tightly. Rose shook her head. She couldn't be imagining these things, but he couldn't be real either. He had died in her arms.

"H-help!" she heard herself calling, her voice cracking from lack of use. Footsteps sounded. Callisto ran in, the fear evident on her exhausted, grey face, before she caught sight of her cousin. She began to sob loudly and launched herself onto him, kissing his forehead over and over.

"Morty," she gasped, "oh Morty, oh thank fuck," she stroked back the bit of hair hanging in his eyes, and Rose felt her heart lurch, "your parents are here Morty, they just arrived, and Eusine, he's here too…"

Before Morty could respond the door flew open again and Isadora, Hector and Eusine ran in, tears streaming down their shocked faces. Rose stood apart from them all, still feeling horribly cold and sick. Why wasn't she waking up? She wanted to now; she didn't think she could take anymore. Her brown eyes filled with tears as she stared over at him, and then his eyes caught hers. Without consciously realising what she was doing, she made to take a step towards him. After all, she thought, if she was going to hell she might as well do it thoroughly.

"Rose?" someone called from the doorway. They sounded nervous. She knew that voice. Wrenching her eyes from Morty, she saw Tripp. Her face broke into a relieved smile. Some normalcy; maybe now she could finally wake up – end this enticing nightmare. She did not see Morty's face drop as she left his room, her eyes still fixed determinedly on her friend.

"Rose…I need to talk to you."

Rose nodded, she could feel it; this was going to end soon. She smiled slightly.

"Are you okay?" he asked warily, peering into her dazed eyes.

"I'm fine," she smiled, wondering why it was taking so damn long.

"And M-Morty? Is he going to be all right?"

Rose frowned. This didn't make sense.

"Rose?"

"He's dead, Tripp," she said, her voice wavering.

Tripp looked at her with alarm in his eyes.

"Rose…I think you need some sleep…"

"Come on, now," another, new voice said quietly. A surprisingly strong arm made its way around her shoulders, and Rose blindly followed, Tripp's hand grasped in hers.

"She's in shock," she heard someone tell Tripp. She glanced to her right to see the old man from the mountain base steering her into a foyer of sorts. He ordered her a cup of tea, and shouted down her automatic, weak protests when he added copious amounts of sugar to it.

"Drink this," he smiled, handing her the cup as he lowered her onto a plastic chair.

Rose's hands began to shake, and she nearly slopped the drink all over herself.

"Take care of her," he said to Tripp, "I'll just let that nurse over there know what's going on…"

Rose could see the old man talking to a nurse and pointing in her direction, but she couldn't understand what it all meant.

"Drink your tea, Rose," Tripp smiled.

"When am I going to wake up?" she asked quietly, tears rolling down her cheeks through her closed eyelids.

"You're awake," Tripp said firmly. He took the tea from her shaking hands and held them tightly in his own. She looked up into his blue eyes and frowned.

"'M not," she murmured, "I can't be, _he's_ not alive…and you're not nice to me," she added.

Tripp couldn't help but chuckle, but it saddened him to hear her talk this way, and to see her in such a state. He pulled her unresistingly towards him so that she was resting against his shoulder and rubbed her arm slowly and soothingly until she fell asleep. He sighed as he glanced down at her face; her unusually pale cheeks marked my tear tracks, her lips red and swollen from where she had been chewing at them. How stupid he had been. He wasn't entirely sure how he felt right now – other than exhausted. He didn't merely fancy her, he loved her. He realised that now, and he could not deny it to himself. He had messed up everything because he had had one moment of weakness, of selfishness, of _fear_, because he had realised what he truly wanted. But his longing had changed somehow. He understood that he would never win her by outwardly fighting for her. It only turned her against him further, and Morty was much better at the game than he could have anticipated. But he wouldn't give up. No, he just needed to change his tactics, give her time. He was positive that she would come to realise that he, Tripp, was the one for her after all. He could not deny that she and Morty…_loved_ each other, but at the end of the day was love enough? Morty was much older than her, he lived in a different region, and she barely knew him really. It was a holiday romance that had escalated due to both Morty and Rose's parts in the legend. Tripp was certain that they would come to realise that their love, fiery and exciting though it may be, would not last the test of time. And he would be waiting. Although the thought of seeing them together nearly killed him, made him feel sick to his stomach, he knew that by seeming to accept it he would be in with a better chance of being with her in the end.

-o-

Rose woke feeling very stiff. She stayed where she was for a moment, her eyes tightly shut. Although she had been desperate for this to happen, it was very different now that it was actually happening. The ache was returning, and she opened her eyes, desperate to get away; what from, she didn't know.

"Rose?"

She sat up abruptly. She was in a hospital foyer, and she had been sleeping on Tripp.

"H-how did I get here?" she asked, her eyes wide with fear. She spotted the now cold tea on the floor next to them and gulped. Tripp understood her thought process and his heart ached for her pain. He hated seeing her this upset – although he wished he could have changed the reason for it…she thought Morty was dead; she had been convinced that his being alive had been a dream. Tripp sickened himself for thinking it, but he couldn't help but wish that Morty's surviving _had_ been a dream…

"You're not dreaming, Rose," he said, and using every ounce of effort he had, he smiled, "he's alive."

The ache continued to press against her throat and chest as she stared at him. Overcome by a multitude of emotions, she launched herself forwards off the plastic chair and onto her knees, crying hysterically into her hands. Tripp lifted her from the floor and placed her back into the seat. He tried to prise her hands from his face, but he gave up.

"H-he _died _Tripp! I watched him die," her voice broke on the last word and Tripp felt his heart tear at the clear anguish she felt over someone who was not him.

"Well you got it wrong," he smiled again, "he's alive and, by the sounds of it, he's well."

"Where is he?" she gasped, wiping her tears roughly with the back of her hand, her lips trembling. She needed to see him. Now. If all of that had been real…in his hospital room…

-o-

She and Tripp sprinted back to Morty's room. His mother was helping him into his leather jacket, and Callisto, Hector and Eusine were chatting happily. Morty looked up as he heard the footsteps, and his eyes tightened. He looked away from Rose and continued putting his jacket on.

"Now, do you have everything?" his mother was saying, her eyes bloodshot but her face plastered with a beaming smile.

"Yes. Can we just go?" Morty asked quietly, staring at the floor.

Rose's mouth fell open. What was the matter with him? Why was he acting like this?

"I've got enough rooms," Callisto was gabbling, "and you've never been to Tarragon City Eusine, we can show you around tomorrow!" she said as she linked Morty's arm.

"Morty…?"

"Bye Rose," he said, turning slightly and giving her a fixed smile, before he and his family made their way from the hospital. Eusine glanced back at Rose. She could see the questions in his eyes, but he did not say anything, and she could not bring herself to either.

-o-

Rose found herself in a car somehow, although she wasn't entirely sure how she got there. She was pressed in the back between Jay and Tripp, both of whom were holding onto one of her hands tightly. Professor Willow was in the passenger seat and Amy appeared to be driving.

"Where're we going?" Rose asked quietly, causing everyone to start.

"We're going to the Laboratory," the Professor said, turning to her and smiling.

Rose nodded but did not answer. She did not particularly care where she was going. Her numb, cold sickness was returning, and she could feel her legs beginning to shake.

"'S all right, Rose," Jay murmured soothingly. He glanced over at Tripp who gave a tiny shrug before sighing. They didn't really know what was going on. The Professor and the Dragon Tamers had filled them in about what they knew happened at the mountain, but it was all feeling a bit jumbled and nonsensical at the moment. And then there was Rose, sat in silence, her face the off-white of sour milk.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Amy asked quietly when they arrived an hour later. It was almost midnight and Rose felt physically and emotionally exhausted.

"I don't know," she whispered as her tears began to flow again. Amy motioned that Jay and Tripp follow her, and the four made their way to one of the reception rooms. Amy sat Rose on a large velvet sofa and merely put her arm around her shoulders comfortingly. Rose did not speak, but tears began to leak continually from her eyes as her limbs continued to tremor.

"Shall we make tea?" Jay suggested.

Tripp nodded and the boys left the room somewhat hurriedly.

"The way he looked at me, Amy," Rose whispered in despair when they had gone.

"Who?" she frowned.

Rose could only shake her head.

"Morty?"

Rose managed to nod, taking a deep, shuddering breath.

"I thought I was dreaming," she croaked, "I watched him _die_…and then…then he was alive and…I saw Tripp and…I so badly wanted to wake up, that I…that I went with him. And Morty's face…it fell like…like he thought I didn't care…" she continued to cry into her hands.

"Oh Rose," Amy sighed as she tightened her arm around her, "it's just a misunderstanding! Go and see him tomorrow – this is just silly! Don't let the same thing happen_ again_!"

"I don't think he wants to see me," she hiccoughed. It took everything Amy had not to roll her eyes. She thought Rose was supposed to be _clever_.

-o-

"It's good of the Professor to let everyone stay," Tripp mused. The Dragon Tamers were also staying. They said, for reasons Tripp couldn't fathom, that they wanted to be here for Rose.

"I think Rose could do with it…" Jay agreed, "but why the hell are the Dragon Tamers here?"

"My thoughts exactly," Tripp wondered.

"Did you tell her?" Jay asked quietly.

"No," Tripp smiled, "I don't think now is the right time…I've told you my plan, haven't I?"

Jay nodded. He was pleased that Tripp hadn't bothered Rose with the information yet; whether or not Jay thought she should be with Morty, he didn't want to distress her further tonight. "Yeah but…how did you come to that conclusion?"

Although Jay had not known Tripp for a very long time, he knew him well enough to realise that his tactical waiting game was very out of character; for Tripp was both jealous and impatient. Jay did not see how Tripp could ever have the self-control to see Morty and Rose in a relationship.

Tripp frowned as he thought about his answer, being careful not to spill the tea tray everywhere as they made their way back up from the basement.

"I'm not really sure…seeing them together was a blow, of course. I never believed it was real, but, well –" he broke off awkwardly.

Jay nodded in agreement

"I know what you mean."

"But I still don't think they'll last," he said, his blue eyes hard, "Morty's too old for her, and they barely know each other!"

Jay didn't know what to say. He could see Tripp's logic, and on paper he would be right, but there was just something that Jay couldn't quite put his finger on…all in all he knew that if Tripp was to win Rose, it would be more than just a waiting game.

"I'm sorry," he finally managed.

Tripp shook his head and smiled.

"Don't be, it's not like that…I guess I just came to my senses…and you heard what that old Dragon guy said…"

"The Elder," Jay corrected with a wry smile.

"Yeah, whatever. Rose invoked _Ho-Oh_…he reckons she was chosen, that she was born to save him or something…but that doesn't mean they were born to _be_ together."

The two boys went very quiet.

"Only time will tell," Jay said, trying to inject nonchalance into his voice. He worried then, because he implied that there was a chance that Tripp may not win Rose, but his friend's lips twitched.

"So yeah…I don't know…maybe this is a good thing? I mean – at least now I know what I definitely want – right? Nothing's going to stop me, even if I have to watch them _together_ for a little while..." he wrinkled his nose.

Jay held his tongue awkwardly; he had no idea what to say to this new, determined, and, uncharacteristically patient, Tripp. Tripp himself did not seem to notice Jay's reluctance to answer, and he swung open the door to the reception room.

"She's gone to bed," Amy said quietly, uncurling her legs from the sofa and stretching.

"Oh."

"But we made tea!"

"Well let's drink it then," Amy giggled, "and we have to help her in the morning – _properly_. She won't go and see him."

"Why not?!" Jay exclaimed.

"Oh, it's so stupid really," Amy said, rolling her eyes as she proceeded to explain.

"Fuck," Tripp muttered at the end of the explanation.

"It's not your fault!" Amy said, pouring out more tea for the three of them, "it's just a misunderstanding! Although I can see Morty's point…it must have seemed pretty callous that she just walked off with you – but she didn't think it was real…poor sod," she added with a shudder.

Tripp sighed heavily as he drained his tea. He felt horrible that Rose was so upset, but a little part inside of him was hopeful that he had been right. Surely if Morty and Rose really loved each other, something as insignificant as a misunderstanding wouldn't get in their way? He had to try hard to conceal his triumphant grin.

-o-

"Morty?" Eusine whispered as he sat up in bed. Morty was sat in the window of the room he was sharing with Eusine, and was staring out at the night sky city scape.

"Mm?"

"What're you doing?" Eusine asked quietly. He struggled to extricate himself from the goose-feather duvet. Callisto lived in style; her penthouse apartment consisted of wall length windows; enormous panes of glass that gave an incredible view of Tarragon City's business district, and her furnishings were all of black leather, stainless steel, and white marble.

"Just thinking," his friend said evasively.

"Come on, Morty," Eusine yawned. He had noticed all evening that there was something on his mind, and despite all that Morty had lived through in the last twenty-four hours, Eusine was sure he had a very good idea of what it was about. His family hadn't noticed, but then they didn't really know about Rose…

"You saw her Eusine."

"Yes?"

"When…when I woke up…she looked _horrified_, like…I don't even know…and then she called out…and then that Tripp came and – and she just _left_."

Eusine sighed heavily.

"I doubt it's that simple."

"Isn't it?" Morty asked quietly, still staring out of the colossal window.

"Morty, she saw you _die_," Eusine spluttered, "cut her some slack!"

"I'm not annoyed with her…"

"What then?"

"I just…I don't think she's interested…she didn't seem particularly happy that I was_ alive_." His voice broke on the last word, and Eusine stormed over to the window.

"Morty, you have _no_ idea how happy_ I_ am that you're alive, honestly you don't, but if you don't stop acting like such a moron, I'm afraid I'm going to have to kill you all over again."

Morty's eyes widened in surprise, and the ghost of a grin passed over his face.

"She. Loves. You!" Eusine exclaimed, "She followed you into that mountain for fuck's sake, and God knows how she must have felt when you died!"

Morty nodded slowly before he suddenly stood up and began to pull on his jeans and boots.

"Where's my belt?" he asked.

"What're you doing?!"

"I'm going to see her. I made this mistake last time – I'm not doing it again."

"But it's nearly two in the morning! Do you even know where she is?!"

Morty shook his head, but he was smiling.

"No – but Gengar will,"

"You've lost me," Eusine said bluntly, sitting back on his bed.

"We practised it when I was clairvoyant…he can take me when he Teleports now."

Eusine's mouth fell open.

"Are you serious?!"

"Yup," Morty said, frowning as he searched for the right Pokéball, "right, here we are…"

He stood in the middle of the huge room, Pokéball in hand, the nervousness radiating from him as he deliberated.

"I know that now we're all into 'legends coming true' and stuff, but if you're waiting for a 'sign' I'd say you're wasting your time," Eusine smirked.

Morty flashed him a look of irritation, but Eusine knew he was in jest.

"Right. Gengar – Teleport!"

Eusine gasped as man and Pokémon both began to turn black and shrink, before disappearing completely.

-o-

Rose awoke with a start, shivering violently in the sudden draught. She blinked slowly, trying to see through the darkness, but couldn't. Getting up, she made her way through the familiar room to the window, but it wasn't open. Frowning, and still shivering from the cold, Rose peered through the bedroom, wondering where on earth the icy air was coming from.

She stepped backwards in fright when she noticed the dark mass materialising in the centre of her bedroom. It was of such an inky blackness that it caused the dark room around it to be thrown into relief. Rose felt her breath catch in her dry throat, as thoughts of that black smoke creature with yellow eyes came into her mind. Paralysed in fear, Rose could only watch as the shape continued to grow, finally becoming two shapes, before it stopped completely. Still unable to see clearly, Rose backed further into the window, trying to work up enough breath for a scream. But then, there was a flash of blinding red light, and one of the shapes disappeared. Rose's eyes widened in disbelief and she took a step forwards. She had seen him, she was certain of it, illuminated by that red light. He stood still in the middle of her room, merely staring at her. Rose took another step forward, unable to believe he was truly there. She reached out to touch his arm, and his eyes closed in response. She moved still closer to him, able to feel the heat radiating from his skin, and she began to feel dizzy as his scent washed over her. Gazing up at him, she hardly dared to believe it. They stared at one another, both at a complete loss for words. They had been through too much in the last two days, and it was all finally beginning to sink in.

Morty took another step forward so that he was staring directly into her tear-filled eyes. He tenderly wiped her tears from her cheeks with the back of his hand, before he stopped himself.

"I need to know," he whispered, his voice tight with despair.

Rose could only stare at him in awe. He was in her room, he was _alive_.

Rising onto her toes, she leant in and kissed him softly. Morty sighed as her lips met his, and he gathered her instinctively into his arms. She was freezing cold. Rose shuddered as he kissed her back – whether from the cold or from his mere presence she didn't know. She clung to him desperately, and he could feel his face grow wet from her tears, his heart swelling in response.

He pulled her to sit on the bed, still holding her tightly to him in silence.

"I was in complete shock," she whispered, knowing exactly what he needed to know - _why_ he had sought her so desperately, "I was convinced it was a dream…I saw you_ die_," she said softly. He held her more tightly still, "I-I didn't want it to hurt more when I woke up," she said, beginning to sob, "I wanted the dream to end – so I followed Tripp, and you…but you…it wasn't a dream," she said quietly, stroking his face gently and wiping his own tears away.

"I thought you'd changed your mind," he said roughly, his voice catching, "I thought you'd had enough…"

She shook her head and kissed him again, feeling a heat pool in her stomach as she took his face in her hands.

"I never thought I'd be able to do this again," she murmured as she continued to kiss him, yet more tears streaming down her face.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered, as pulled her down next to him on the bed, "For everything that's happened - I…and I'm sorry for how I acted…at the hospital…"

Rose shook her head again as she ran her hands through his hair and down his back. He shivered with relief and desire. She still wanted him. He pulled her on top of him and began to kiss her neck.

"H-how did you even know where to find me?"

She gasped against his touch.

"It's a thrilling tale," he said, smiling as he kissed her, and it finally started to sink in. He couldn't believe he was really here, that _she _was here, and that they were together, "but I think it'd be best saved until morning…" his breathing became ragged as she began to nibble at his earlobe.

"I agree," she mumbled, sighing as he ran his hands over her thin nightdress. He sat up, pulling her with him and onto his lap, his hands tangled in her long, dark hair. She began to tug at his t-shirt and in moments it was over his head. Feeling both hot and cold all over, Rose stroked his chest and shoulders, her hands shaking. Morty took them in his and kissed her again, crushing her up against him. She could feel him pressing through his jeans, and her breathing became shallow; she didn't seem able to take enough air into her lungs. He kissed her until her head span, and suddenly everything was him. All that she could feel, taste, and smell was him, and she clutched him ever tighter to her, never once forgetting what it felt like to lose him forever.

"I love you," he whispered against her stomach as he removed her nightdress. She pulled him up to her again and kissed him deeply, pressing herself against him as she pulled at his belt buckle. In moments his jeans had joined her nightdress on the floor and they held onto one another, still hardly daring to believe that it was real. She gasped aloud as he made them one, and tugged at his hair as he began to move against her. Fire shot through her veins, and her back arched off the bed when he shifted, causing her to cry out. He silenced her with his lips before he started again, and waves of pleasure, grief, and joy coursed through her, making the first sensation insignificant. She buried her face into his shoulder to muffle her cries, but she lost herself in the heady scent coming off his warm skin, and with total abandon, she forgot herself. She forgot where she was, and everything that had happened. He was the only real thing here, and she clutched at him, a part, deep inside of her, telling her not to let him go.

He stared into her eyes, half-closed with desire, and kissed her, his tongue finding hers as he continued to build up the heat between them. He felt his release coming, but he did not want it to end yet, and so he stopped, pulling out from her as he lowered himself to cover her breasts and stomach with searing kisses.

But she sighed his name, and he could not resist her any longer. Moving to join with her again, he held her until his skin flushed all over with an unbearable heat, and his eyes screwed tightly shut in ecstasy. He shouted aloud when it happened, and only then did he realise they were bathed in each other's sweat. But she would not let him go, and she kissed him softly and slowly on the lips, her hands still shaking as she ran them through his hair. He smiled into her eyes before he kissed away the remains of her tears, and secured her against his chest, feeling as though his demons of the last few weeks had finally been put to sleep.

**AN:**

**Almost at the end now ): but I am thinking of writing a prequel…I've come to feel that I love these people and I can't yet let them go (;**

**Love A xx**


	36. Chapter 36

Rose's eyes fluttered open peacefully, and she gave a luxurious stretch. Upon seeing the crumpled pile of clothes on the floor, she felt her body flush with a delicious heat, and turned her head to see Morty lying asleep beside her, a small smile on his lips. She turned over to face him and her chest ached with emotion as she marvelled that he was actually here with her. The previous day had been nothing short of nightmarish (she quickly banished any thoughts of it), but he wasn't dead. He was _very_ much alive.

She couldn't help but give a small sigh of relief, conceding that Amy had been right and she _had _been acting stupid, because all it had taken was for him to find her, and everything was right again. She happily watched him sleep, taking in the sweeping set of his cheekbones, and his dark lashes that contrasted with his golden, dark blond hair. He inhaled deeply before his eyes opened slowly, his face softening as he saw her staring at him. Not saying a word, he pulled her towards him and held her against his chest, his sleepy smile a little wider. Rose lay listening to his heartbeat, and wondered if she would ever tire of hearing it. It was nothing short of a miracle, and she couldn't imagine ever taking it for granted.

"Where are we?" he mumbled, his face buried into her hair.

Rose leant back so she could see him, her face incredulous.

"What do you mean 'where are we?'? How did you find me if you don't even know where you are?!"

Morty grinned and stretched, yawning widely, before he wrapped his arms around her again.

"I told you it was a thrilling tale," he chuckled, kissing her nose.

Rose pushed him off, both intrigued and confused.

"But how did you do it?!" she gaped, before smirking, one eyebrow raised, "You have to admit it's pretty perverted, sneaking into my room like that…"

She squealed as he tickled her ribs, his face stern but his eyes dancing.

"If you think I'm a pervert I'll just leave now shall I?" he whispered, trying to keep the laugh from his voice.

"I _do_ think you're a pervert," she said with a mock sigh, "but I can't deny I enjoyed being perved upon…"

Morty laughed loudly and hugged her closer, kissing her forehead and then her lips.

"I can Teleport," he said after a while, and Rose could detect the hint of smugness in his tone.

"You can what?!"

The visions had been impressive enough – but teleportation?!

"Only with Gengar," he grinned, "we make contact – it's all about the mind strength we share – and then when he Teleports, he can take me too."

"Are you serious?" she asked, stunned.

Morty nodded happily.

"It's impressive – I know," he winked.

Rose rolled her eyes and turned away from him, but he pulled her close so that her back was against his stomach.

"So that's how I found you…well, Gengar did really," he paused, "…so - are you going to tell me where we are?"

Now that he was properly awake he could truly take in his surroundings. The room was large and airy, the bed a lavish four poster. The walls were decorated with wainscoting, and facets of light from the crystal chandelier were reflecting off the many paned, floor-length windows.

"We're in Tarragon Laboratory," she laughed.

"Really?!" he asked, intrigued, "I was only in Tarragon City myself – we're staying with Callisto."

"Aren't they going to wonder where you are?" Rose asked, frowning slightly.

Morty shook his head and smiled.

"Eusine knows where I am…or rather, where I aimed to go."

Rose nodded and relaxed into his arms which were still wrapped lightly around her.

"You do realise that I'm not alone here?" she said slightly nervously.

Morty gulped as he realised what she was saying.

"Your friends are here?"

"Amy, Tripp, and Jay, yes," she said, chewing her lip and not knowing whether to feel worried or amused.

Morty lay back on the pillows, his eyes wide.

"And I'm meant to follow you down to breakfast like it's no big deal?!"

Rose shrugged and laughed at the look of distress that passed across his face.

"Clair and Lance are here too?" she said, attempting to mollify him, "and their grandfather for some reason…"

Morty nodded slowly but said nothing. So she didn't yet know. He wondered whether to tell her now, but decided against it. Why else were her family here, if not to do it themselves?

"What's the matter?" he asked, noticing both her frown and the faraway look in her eyes.

She was silent for a moment, not really sure how to begin.

"Morty – yesterday…I was convinced I was dreaming, and…and everything that happened after you died…I thought was a figment of my imagination…" she looked over at him, her frown deepening, "_did_ you die?" she whispered.

He nodded slowly. It hadn't quite sunk in yet, just how close he had been to losing the mortal part of himself.

"I remember you being there with me," he said quietly, his violet eyes misting over, "and in my mind there was this tunnel, a really deep, dark tunnel, and it was like every part of me was yearning to go through it…even though I knew I didn't want to – I wanted you."

Rose was hardly able to believe what she was hearing. Her lips were slightly parted and her eyes were wide with shock as she stared at him. He took a deep breath before he continued:

"But it was stronger than me…and I was so weak. I didn't want to die, I'd made up my mind before we went in that I was going to do anything I could to live, but then I realised that it was meant to happen that way, that I wasn't _supposed_ to survive…" his brow furrowed as he tried to remember, "and…everything was black then. It wasn't painful, or even uncomfortable, but it was so, so dark…and then, just like in my visions, I saw a flash of fire…it was hideously hot, but it wasn't burning me at all, it was…_revitalising_, is the only way I can describe it."

"They said it was Ho-Oh," Rose whispered. It seemed unbelievable even now, and at the time she hadn't been able to take anything in at all, "Clair, and Lance, and the Elder…they were talking to me, as you were taken to hospital, and they were talking about Ho-Oh appearing…" she frowned, "they said _I _summoned it," she said, very quietly.

"That's what they told me too," Morty said, gazing into her face. Of course to her it seemed unbelievable, but she didn't know that she had always been part of it, that this was her heritage as much as his.

"So…that wasn't a dream?"

"If you dreamt it, I did too," he smiled, "they came to speak to me and my family after I woke up. I still don't really understand to be honest – everything was such a rushed muddle…" he didn't mention that he had been too distraught over her leaving his room to process what they said.

Rose snuggled further into him as she let this information wash over her. She would have to ask the Dragon Tamers when she next saw them; maybe that was why they were here? To explain everything to them in more detail?

"It's only half past seven," Morty said as he checked his watch, the surprise evident in his voice. They mustn't have gone to sleep until about three, but he felt remarkably well rested. He looked down to see that Rose was chewing on her bottom lip, smiling at him coquettishly.

"That's very early," she whispered as she climbed on top of him and began to kiss his neck, moving up to his jawline before catching her lips with his. Morty sighed heavily into her mouth as he felt his body respond to her. He shifted suddenly, causing her to lie beneath him as he kissed her fervently, his senses taking over as he allowed thoughts of her to overwhelm his mind completely.

They lay together afterwards, both laughing aloud as they glanced at one other, and caught sight of their identical guilty smiles.

"I'm assuming this place has showers?" Morty grinned, trying to run his fingers through his, now very knotted, hair.

Rose nodded as she sat up in bed. She tried to stand up, but her legs were too shaky after their activities, and she turned pink, much to Morty's delight. She stuck her tongue out at him before making her way across the room unsteadily, and throwing a towel into his laughing face.

-o-

Tripp shot Amy another strange look. She was in a particularly weird mood that morning. He knew that she was barely listening to a word he and Jay were saying, and she kept glancing at the door of the breakfast room, her porridge turning cold and congealing in her bowl.

"Hellooo?" Jay called impatiently, smacking his sister around the back of the head.

"What?" she snapped crossly, stirring her porridge but still not touching it.

"What do you mean 'what?'?! _You're_ the one acting oddly!"

"No I'm not!"

"Yes you are! You're barely listening to a word we say and you keep looking as though you're trying to stop laughing!"

Amy glanced at the two of them and couldn't help it. Jay and Tripp stared at one another in alarm as she burst into peals of laughter, nearly falling off her chair.

"Seriously Amy," Tripp said in a low voice, "what's so funny? We're supposed to be helping Rose today, and I doubt your hysterics are what she needs right now…"

Amy rolled her eyes but stopped laughing. She glanced over at the door again impatiently.

"You're driving me insane," Tripp muttered as he poured himself another coffee.

"You'll see why I'm laughing soon enough," she sang, her grey eyes sparkling.

Her head snapped in the direction of the door once again as she heard it creak tentatively open. Rose popped her head around it and blushed when she saw them all sitting there, apparently waiting for her. Jay and Tripp were looking at her with concern, but Amy gave her a roguish wink, and struggled to stop her lips from twitching. Rose was momentarily confused, but then her mouth fell open in embarrassment when she considered the proximity of Amy's bedroom to hers. This caused her to turn even more red, and Amy could barely contain herself, her eyes filling with tears of mirth as she choked back her laughter.

"M-morning," Rose stammered, trying desperately to ignore Amy, although she could not quite take the sheepish grin from her face.

"How're you…feeling?" Jay started to ask, his mouth hanging open comically as Morty followed Rose into the room, his dark blond hair damp from the shower.

Morty gave a small smile, and raised his eyebrows in greeting to the other three. Jay and Tripp's faces seemed to push Amy over the edge. She leant over, howling with laughter, and gripped hard onto the table top to prevent herself falling off her seat.

"Good, thank you," Rose said, in a failed attempt to sound dignified. She poured Morty a cup of tea and avoided Jay and Tripp's eyes; they were staring from her to Morty unabashedly.

"Sleep well?" Amy asked, grinning at them.

Both Morty and Rose flushed but Jay and Tripp seemed still too astounded to notice. Morty could feel their eyes on him and decided to break the ice.

"I suppose we haven't officially met," he said, unsure which he felt most: awkward or amused. He stood up and, smiling, he offered Tripp his hand, and then Amy, and then Jay, "I'm Morty – Gym Leader of the Ecruteak Gym in Johto."

Rose bit her lip to stop herself laughing. They knew very well who he was, and she knew that Morty knew it too.

"Tripp," Tripp managed to croak. This person seemed completely different from the brooding, contemptuous Morty that he had met at the hospital when Rose was injured.

"I'm Amy," she said brightly, staring into Morty's face intently and grinning at whatever she seemed to find there.

"And I'm Jay," Jay mumbled.

Morty reached over and grabbed a Magost Berry from the fruit bowl: this did not go unnoticed by Rose. Jay cleared his throat quietly, but Morty did not seem to notice. He continued munching his Berry, leaning back casually on the legs of his chair as he watched Rose bustle around the breakfast things.

"So, er – Morty, did you arrive this morning?" Jay asked politely. He had no idea what was going on or how he came to be here.

Morty wrenched his eyes from Rose and turned to face Jay.

"Um…yeah, I did," he said, grinning. It was the truth after all. Jay didn't need to know how _early_ in the morning he'd arrived.

Amy snorted, and everyone turned to face her questioningly.

"Can I talk to you?" Rose asked; her eyes were meaningfully wide and there was a sarcastic, fixed smile on her face. Amy nodded, still struggling to keep a straight face as she followed Rose out into the corridor.

"What is it?" Rose muttered, hardly daring to look at the other girl.

"What're you talking about?" Amy asked, thoroughly enjoying herself.

Rose raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms.

"All right, all right," Amy giggled, "but first of all, I want to say two things: number one, I'm really happy for you," Rose smiled at her, "and number two, 'I told you so'."

Rose rolled her eyes: she had to give her that one.

"Thanks - now go on."

"_Well_," Amy said with relish, "I was worried about you last night – as you can imagine – so I wasn't really sleeping properly, I was sort of…'keeping an ear out' for you, shall we say…?"

Rose burned a fiery, shameful red and Amy laughed in glee.

"I heard a noise coming from your room," she said, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively, and Rose covered her face in embarrassment, "and I thought you were crying…so I thought you might need some company…"

Rose couldn't help herself, she too started to giggle.

"So I got out of my bed and crept across the corridor…" she said slowly and dramatically, dragging out her friend's humiliation, "and then I pressed my ear to your door…"

"Oh, Amy! You _didn't_?!" Rose gasped, tears of shame and laughter filling her eyes.

"I certainly did," she said with the air of being very proud of herself, "and from what I heard he _must _be good," she whispered, nudging Rose in the ribs.

"Oh my _God_, Amy!" Rose groaned, unable to look at her. Amy merely laughed merrily.

"Don't worry – I didn't tell the other two," she said, winking.

Rose shook her head at Amy, but she couldn't help but feel grateful – humiliated though she was.

-o-

Rose could feel her nervousness increasing as they approached the restaurant which was buzzing during the cold Saturday lunchtime. She stopped suddenly a few meters from the door, and Morty looked back quizzically as he felt the consequential tug on his hand.

"What're you doing?" he asked, noticing the apprehension in her wide eyes.

"I-I'm not sure this is such a good idea…"

Morty rolled his eyes as he pulled her towards him.

"It's just lunch," he grinned, "and they want to meet you."

Rose began to chew on her lip.

"But…I think they would probably rather time with just you – after everything that's happened…"

"Thanks to you they have a lifetime of lunches with me," he said meaningfully, hone eyebrow raised in humour nonetheless.

Rose opened her mouth to come out with another excuse, but Morty cut across her.

"Why can't you just admit you're nervous?" he asked, his eyes sparkling.

Rose blushed – she knew he'd caught her.

"Okay – I'm petrified," she laughed.

"About what?!"

"In case they don't like me," she mumbled.

"Stop being a twat," he said, rolling his eyes as he physically pushed her through the doors.

The restaurant was pleasantly warm compared to the cold November air, but Rose could feel her legs turning leaden as Morty marched her over to the table where his parents, Callisto, and Eusine were already sat. She needn't have worried. Before she had a chance to open her mouth, Morty's mother had risen from the table and smothered her in a tight hug. Pulling away, she held Rose by her shoulders, her violet eyes filled with tears.

"It's nice to finally meet you," she said through a watery smile.

"What do you mean, 'finally'?" Morty asked in amusement, making himself comfortable next to Eusine.

"Well Eusine told me all about Rose a while ago," Isadora said, smiling fondly.

Morty turned to Eusine with raised eyebrows.

"Oh _did _he?" he asked. Eusine turned red and began to splutter.

Rose's first impression was that Morty looked a lot like his mother, except for her black hair, but when she caught sight of his father, her mouth fell open in shock. It was like looking at Morty in twenty years' time – except his eyes were blue.

"Sit down Rose," Hector said warmly, pulling out the seat between him and Callisto.

"Rose!" the latter exclaimed, jumping up to hug her before she had the chance to sit down, "how are you? How are your Pokémon doing?"

"They're great," Rose grinned. She couldn't help but feel comfortable here, although she was somewhat startled by Morty's family's blatant tactility.

"I saw your thing on the Eevees," she nodded as she poured Rose a glass of water, "I was supposed to be at the ball but couldn't make it because _someone_ was visiting," she said, rolling her eyes in Morty's direction.

Rose laughed aloud. She felt quite taken aback, for Callisto behaved very differently outside of the Gym. She was very chatty here amongst her family, and had completely abandoned the mystical air that Rose remembered.

"Is this where you two met then?" Hector asked, handing around the basket of bread, "In Tarragon City?"

"Nah, it was on the ferry back to Johto," Morty grinned, winking at Rose who smiled back at him.

"Well I'm very glad that you _did_ meet," Isadora said lightly, but everyone could detect the dark undertone in her voice. There was silence for a moment before Eusine broke it.

"I think they were going to meet either way," he said quietly, "you heard what the Elder said."

The table turned quiet, and Rose began to feel hot as everyone's eyes turned to her.

"It's really quite incredible," Eusine continued in awe, his eyes holding Rose's, who felt the blush creep up her neck, "Fate is a funny thing."

Morty could tell that Rose was feeling uneasy with the attention, and so he tactfully changed the subject. She smiled gratefully at him across the table, and the tips of his ears turned pink as their eyes met.

Despite the heartache she had lived through the last few days, Isadora finally felt contented. She gazed at her son over lunch, and felt her chest expand as she took in his happiness. It had been like nothing she had ever imagined, thinking she had lost him, and she felt happy just to be able to stare at his laughing face, and try to forget that dark day. He was such a beacon of brightness, he always had been, and even now, after what he'd been through, he was still smiling. Isadora looked across the table from Morty and was pretty certain she knew the reason for his acute joy. Her violet eyes widened as she surveyed Rose; she was watching Morty, unaware that she herself was being watched, and her face was a heart-warming display of adoration and undisguised tenderness. Rose felt Isadora's eyes on her and gave her a small, shy smile before turning back to her soup.

Morty couldn't help but beam all the way through lunch. Rose, as he knew she would, got on easily with his family, and he could tell that they liked her enormously. She was just the right amount of shy, but she was quick to laugh, and he couldn't take his eyes from her pink cheeks and bright smile. He continued to stare at her where she was laughing with Eusine and Callisto, a half-smile upon his face, his eyes intensely soft.

Hector took Isadora's hand under the table and squeezed it. His wife looked over to see that he too was watching their son. She smiled at Hector and he returned it, rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb. He had been sceptical of the Dragon Tamers' explanation, that Fate was involved between his son and this girl, but upon observing them he couldn't deny that there was something there, something he couldn't quite pin-point. He found himself wondering whether it was the presence of Ho-Oh itself within them. He frowned then, as he tried to understand Rose's part in all of this: Morty had an ancient heritage through himself and Isadora, it was believable that he could be a part of the legend…but Rose? A random girl not even from Johto, but from Sesame? Rose glanced upwards as she felt Hector's eyes upon her. She caught his eye and blushed before looking away from his scrutinising gaze, but not before something registered with him.

"Rose, may I ask…who are your parents?"

Hector noticed Morty lower his glass of water, his eyes suddenly wary.

Rose frowned slightly at the abruptness of the question before she answered.

"I don't think you'd know them," she said, "my mother is a nurse in Chicory Town – which is tiny really – and my father…well –"

"Where is he from, your father?" Hector continued, peering intently into her eyes. He was certain he was right, and it meant that everything fell into place.

"I –" Rose hesitated, looking stumped.

Morty cleared his throat loudly and dramatically, causing everyone to turn and look at him.

"Fish bone," he grinned. Everyone laughed, but Hector got his message. He did not mention Rose's father again.

-o-

"What did you think?" Morty asked after lunch was finished. They were meandering around Tarragon City together, hand in gloved hand.

"I really liked them – all of them," Rose smiled. It was true. Morty's family had not only been very easy to get on with, they had made her feel welcome too.

"They liked you too," he beamed.

"How can you know that?"

"They're my family, I just know," he said confidently.

Rose considered this before shrugging. It had been nerve-wracking to begin with, but she had enjoyed herself by the end – bar that awkward question about her father. She had always assumed he was from Sage City, just like her mother was, but she had never actually asked…

"Do you fancy heading back now or later?" he enquired, wrapping his arm around her waist so that her head was nestled against his chest.

"To the Lab?" she asked in surprise.

"Well, yeah? Aren't you staying there for now?" he asked, growing red.

"I just thought you'd want to go back to Callisto's…" she replied, also blushing.

"I was going to stay with you," he laughed bashfully, "but I obviously don't mind if -"

"No. Stay with me," she said quickly, before laughing in spite of herself. She went up onto her toes so that she could kiss him. A few passers-by gave them disapproving looks, and Rose could feel Morty smiling against her lips.

"Arseholes," he muttered with a grin, "let's head back," he said, pecking her on the lips, "I don't know about you but I'm _freezing_."

-o-

The Elder looked up as Rose and Morty entered the dining hall together, laughing about something, their eyes bright and their hair ruffled by the winter winds. The smile fell from Rose's face when she saw the Dragon Tamers sat at the dinner table, for she did not know them well. The Elder inhaled sharply as he saw her again – she looked so much like her father.

"Hey guys," Clair smiled, "what've you been up to?"

"I took Rose to meet my family," Morty said, winking at her.

"It must be serious," Lance laughed, causing Morty to blush.

"We haven't properly met," Clair said, moving towards Rose and offering her her hand. She looked intently into her eyes, wondering how she had not made the connection before: now that she knew it was glaringly obvious, "I'm Clair, and this is Lance – we come from Blackthorn City."

"I know," Rose grinned: Clair and Lance were very well-known and highly regarded by Pokémon trainers around the world, "it's good to meet you – properly."

"And I am the Elder of Blackthorn City," the old man informed her. Rose felt slightly uncomfortable under his gaze, although she couldn't actually figure out why.

"It's good to meet you too," she said, becoming increasingly more confused. Why all the introductions? It wasn't as though she'd never met them all before.

Morty was feeling both excited and apprehensive. He wondered if they were going to tell her now – if so, where was her father?

"Eat your dinner, both of you," the old man said, gesturing to the dishes on the table, "there are…things that must be discussed afterwards."

Rose nodded slowly. She wasn't sure why, but she was feeling a little nervous. Considering she had seen Morty die, she found this almost amusing. What could they possibly say that could scare her now?

"How have you both been coping?" Lance asked casually as he piled noodles onto their plates. Morty and Rose glanced at one another. It was strange being around people who knew exactly what had happened; the rest of the world was oblivious, and they couldn't deny that it was pleasant to be able to merge with the crowd who had had no idea of what nearly befell them.

"I've been fine," Morty said lightly.

Rose nodded, more to end the conversation than anything else. She didn't like thinking about it if she was honest.

"Obviously at the hospital things were a little…strained," the Elder said knowingly, "and I thought it would be best to discuss it with you once again. Of course, this is now over effectively, but nevertheless it is your heritage, and it's important that you are completely understanding of it."

Rose nodded once again, although she wasn't entirely sure what he was talking about. For a start, it was Morty's heritage – not hers – and if they were going to discuss _this_ during dinner, then what on earth was coming after?!

"The part of the legend that is largely omitted, is in fact the reason Morty lives."

Rose stared at the old man, her mouth slightly agape, and her food untouched.

"'_Firemoon. Self-sacrifice. Purity of heart_.'" he recited, "the legend is referring to you Rose," he said quietly.

"I don't understand," she said calmly. She knew she had heard all of this before, but she hadn't taken it in, not really.

"You were born seventeen years ago on the third night of November. On this night the moon was red in its eclipse – this is also known as a Firemoon."

Clair smiled as she noticed the way Morty was staring at Rose.

"And what does that mean exactly?" Rose whispered, her nerves building.

"The Firemoon has long been considered a sign, by those from Ecruteak," he said with a nod in Morty's direction, "that Ho-Oh is exerting its power and influence over mankind. In the past those from Ecruteak attempted to summon Ho-Oh on this night. However, as you know, Ho-Oh has not been seen in living memory."

"Until yesterday," Morty whispered.

"Until yesterday," the Elder agreed, "Rose, we believe that your being born on this night was no coincidence. We believe that your meeting Morty, 'the child of Firelight' was also not coincidental….Ho-Oh, despite being an all-powerful force has never had vicious or destructive traits attributed to it. Having the choice, we do not believe that Ho-Oh would expect anyone to die in its place…"

"But I did," Morty said quietly.

"Yes, you did. Even Ho-Oh cannot thwart what is fated to happen, but using its powers of resurrection – for Ho-Oh is a phoenix – it was able to ensure that despite bringing down Chaos, you would not lose your own life."

"But he did," Rose repeated.

"Yes," the Elder said with infinite patience, "but your love Rose, your purity of heart and stubborn willingness to endanger your own life, just so that Morty should not face death alone, was enough to summon the Firelight."

"So, the droplet of fire…?"

"Was Ho-Oh, yes."

"And so…when Morty…when he b-burned?"

"That was no ordinary fire…it was Sacred Fire; giving life rather than taking it away."

"So Rose was chosen by Ho-Oh?" Morty asked, trying to wrap his head around it.

"Just as you were chosen to save us all, Morty, Rose was chosen to save you."

The table rang with silence.

"But why me?" Rose asked in a whisper, "I-I've got nothing to do with this really – I mean, Morty and Pascalia…they were born of the ancient cities and I'm just -" she stopped, unable to make any sense of it.

"You have everything to do with this," the Elder told her, his eyes unnervingly serious.

"But –"

"This can further be explained, I think, by the Champion of Sesame."

"Pardon?" Rose asked incredulously.

"He is my son, my youngest son…I believe he will be able to explain your role in greater detail."

Rose looked over at Morty, and was surprised to see that he was looking incredibly overwhelmed. But it was more than that; she had the distinct impression that he knew something she didn't.

"So…Sesame's Champion is a Dragon Tamer?"

"Of sorts," the Elder said lightly.

"Well, where is he?"

"He asked if you would meet him in the grounds."

"Why?" she said, the distrust evident in her tone.

"He wishes to talk to you alone."

Rose opened her mouth to retort – this sounded incredibly fishy to her – but she caught Morty's eye and he gave her the tiniest of nods.

"I think you should talk to him, Rose," he said, smiling slightly.

"Will you come with me?"

"No…I don't think I will, but I'll come to you later. You know I can find you – wherever you are."

Rose merely stared at him. She was growing more confused, and more frightened by the second. What could some strange man tell her that the Elder couldn't? However, despite her fears, her curiosity got the better of her, and she made her solitary way into the grounds under the velvety black night sky, her heart, for reasons unbeknownst to her, beating rapidly against her ribs.

-o-

Fernando closed his eyes when he saw a trail of light spill from the Laboratory out onto the grassy grounds. They snapped open once more when he heard the back door close with a faint _clunk_. Knowing it was ridiculous for a thirty-six year old man to be hiding from a teenage girl, he nevertheless launched himself behind a tree and cursed quietly as he did so. He wasn't quite sure why he'd agreed to this, and his instinct to run was overwhelming. He couldn't even bring himself to peer around the tree and see what his daughter was doing.

Suddenly, he felt a tremor at his hip, and before he could register what was happening, Arcanine had struggled free of its Pokéball, and began to bound across the grass to where the girl was standing.

-o-

Rose turned sharply on the spot as she heard the footsteps of an enormous creature padding towards her. Looking towards the trees, she gasped as she saw a colossal Pokémon sprinting in her direction. She took a step backwards but stumbled and fell onto her back, leaving her winded. Before she had time to register what was happening, the huge creature's hot breath was at her neck, and she could feel and see nothing but its shaggy fur. To her surprise, however, it began to lick her in earnest, covering her face with slobber. She tried to push the Pokémon off, but it was so large it did not even appear to feel her attempts. All she could do was cover her head with her arms to get away from its relentless tongue.

"Arcanine, get _back_!"

To her relief, the Pokémon withdrew, but she could still hear it panting happily relatively near to her. Getting up slowly, and wiping her face with her sleeve, Rose glanced over to where Arcanine was sat. It was straining forwards as though on a lead, but it obviously had enough respect for whoever had called it not to disobey.

Fernando could only stare at his daughter. Gone was the little girl with knobbly knees and a mop of dark brown tangles; she was grown up now. Her hair was long, and her curls tamed. In the early evening sky he could clearly see the shadows that her cheekbones left on her face and her eyes – her eyes were wide, open, and the edges tilted upwards…like a cat's. He flushed as she looked over at him for the first time, and her mouth fell open. She looked from him to Arcanine, over and over, before she stood up in a rush. But she did not run.

It was all spinning through her head, rushes of meanings, links, and explanations that were all insane and yet somehow made perfect sense. She couldn't bring herself to speak, she had no idea what to say, and certainly no idea what to feel. The man's face was a myriad of emotions. He stared at her with undisguised fear and shame in his brown eyes, but as they roved over her hungrily, he could not keep the small smile from his lips.

"Arcanine has not forgotten you," he said quietly, his voice tight.

Rose merely looked from man to Pokémon, still at a complete loss for words.

She had his eyes exactly, and her colouring was all his. There was something in the set of her mouth that struck him as being his too, but otherwise she was the image of her mother. His heart ached as he thought of Hope, and he took a beseeching step forwards.

"Rose -" he began, but he did not know how to continue. He wished she would say something, anything, rather than stare at him with her wide, honest eyes.

"_You're_ – the Champion?" she managed to stammer, "Of Sesame?"

He nodded.

"And…you're from Blackthorn City?"

"I – yes," he whispered.

Rose nodded slowly. She didn't quite know how to feel. It was though all of her nerves were on standby. If he was from Blackthorn; that meant that _she _too was from Blackthorn. It was like discovering a whole other part to herself that she had never been aware of.

"Clair and Lance – the Elder -?"

"Your cousins and grandfather," he sighed heavily, his eyes tight with pain. He had denied her so much, and he had no idea what he could do – if he _could_ even do anything at all.

"And the legend?"

Fernando could only admire her composure, although it was something he knew that both he and his wife possessed in great quantities.

"The legend?"

"They said I was chosen, that I summoned Ho-Oh."

Her eyes were hard, and he noticed with trepidation that there was no mercy in them.

"You were," he whispered.

"Does my mother know this?"

He frowned at the phrasing. 'My mother'. It sounded so very formal, so very…distant from him.

"She…it was never known when the struggle between light and darkness would take place…it is the nature of mankind to assume that nothing terrible can possibly happen in your lifetime…we never even considered you might grow to be a part of it."

Rose remained silent. Her numbness was fading, and it was being replaced by unrelenting fury.

"And where have you been?" she asked coldly.

Fernando's mouth fell open uselessly. He had not expected this question, and he had no excuse, no reason for never having been there.

"Rose, you must understand –"

"_Must_ I?"

"A-as soon as I left, I regretted it! I wanted to turn back the moment I closed the door -"

"But you didn't."

"How could I? How could I face either of you again? Knowing that I had willingly left you?!"

His fists were clenched and his face was shining starkly white against his black hair.

"That's a little selfish," she said with quiet sarcasm, but he could hear the fury resounding in her voice, "you think your shame would have been greater than my mother's suffering these past twelve years?"

He noticed that she did not mention her own suffering, but knew that now was not the moment to be offended. However, his mouth fell open when he registered what she had said. He could feel his face flush with heat as he considered her words. He was incredibly selfish. He had left, thinking only of himself, and he did not return, thinking only of himself once again. She was right. His seventeen year old daughter, in one statement, had crashed down every perfect excuse that he had crafted over the years. He could not argue against her.

Rose snorted in disgust at his silence and turned away from her father – she could not bear to look at him.

"Rose I love you both, I love you both so –" he stopped abruptly when she gave a hysterical shriek of laughter.

"_Love_?!" she said, an unnerving grin on her face, "You don't walk out on people you love."

"I know I was wrong," he said desperately, "But I want to –"

"You want to come back into our lives?" she asked sarcastically, "Come back with me then," she snarled, "come back home – see _just _how welcome you are."

He could only stare at her. It sickened him to realise that she was like him – just like him. She was stubborn, fierce, and utterly ruthless when angered. But he could not blame her for her reaction. He had hoped for something sweeter, more heart-felt, but he knew he did not deserve it. He had left her as a tiny child, and she had forever lived with the knowledge that her father had had no apparent interest in her well-being. It galled him to accept that he was a coward. He never had been, _never_, but he had certainly become one, and he hated himself for it. He hated his situation and his inability to react to it even more so. His eyes alight with a fury akin only to hers, he advanced towards her.

"You have no idea, Rose," he spat, "it's all very well for you to act high and mighty now, but you know nothing, _nothing_ about what happened, about what life was like!"

"Tell me then," she challenged, her fists clenched tightly.

It was Fernando's turn to laugh coldly. She had no idea really, no idea what had been. He would have liked to have seen what she would have done in his situation.

"As much as I would love to, Rose, I should hate for you to have _two_ parents you're ashamed of."

That shocked her. The fury left her eyes only to be replaced with confusion.

"What do you mean?" she asked quietly.

He backtracked then. Who was he to ruin the relationship between mother and daughter – no matter what had happened in the past?

"I didn't mean anything," he lied, clearing his face of tell-tale emotion, "I was…angry."

Rose's eyes narrowed, but she did not continue her interrogation. She hated to admit it, but she knew that face – it was the exact one she adopted when concealing any feelings she did not want realised. He was not going to elaborate – that much she could gauge.

"What're you doing here?" she finally asked, staring him unflinchingly in the eye. He stared right back, desperate that she understand.

"I've made mistakes Rose, mistakes I realise I will never be able to atone for – but I'm willing to try," he said with an intense earnestness.

She hated what he was saying, but she also hated the complete honesty in his brown eyes.

"You're only seventeen…but I think you realise what it means to love…have you never made mistakes? Mistakes that may have ruined everything had it not been for a stroke of luck – or fate?" he asked knowingly.

Rose's eyes closed. She did not want him to convince her, she wanted to hate him.

"You have to believe me," he whispered, standing alone, a solitary figure in the moonlight, "as soon as I left I wished I hadn't, but I was young. I was young, and I was reckless, and I had no idea what I was tossing aside."

"She always hoped you'd return," Rose mumbled. She sank to the ground, shaking slightly. She had been through too much in the last few days. Her body no longer knew how to deal with the stress.

Fernando watched in shock as her shoulders began to shake. For the first time in a very long time, he acted on impulse. Kneeling next to his daughter he enveloped her into his arms and stoked her long dark hair as she sobbed against his shoulder. It took a long time for her to cry herself out, but he did not shift position. After a while she attempted to move away from him, embarrassed when she realised what she had done.

"I don't expect this to be easy, Rose," he said, staring into her eyes, "but life is too fleeting, too transient not to pursue exactly what you want."

She merely looked at him.

"At twenty-four you have no idea what you want, or what's important - and I learnt the hard way. You may not believe me, not now, not ever, but I have hated myself these past twelve years. I have both hated myself and lost all respect for myself…and you're right. You clearly have a much greater understanding of the world than I had at seventeen…my shame will never be eradicated by hiding from it, and believe me when I say I've tried. I want you both back in my life Rose, and maybe I don't deserve it, but if I have to spend the rest of my life trying to prove that to you, then that's what I'm willing to do."

He was panting slightly at the end of his speech, unsure as to where he found the composure to say all of that. She was surveying him closely through narrowed eyes, but the fury seemed to have disappeared. There was distrust there, and he accepted that it might be there for a long while yet, but he could deal with that – for now.

"It's not only me you're going to have to prove it to though, is it?"

"It certainly isn't," he said, giving an involuntary shiver as he contemplated the task ahead.

-o-

Hope sighed as she heard a soft knock at the door. It was nearing eight o'clock and she had been looking forward to a quiet evening. She knew however, after many years as a nurse, that sickness and injury were never planned, and never happened at convenient times.

She ran to the door and swung it open. To her surprise a Raichu stared back at her. This Raichu was neither sick nor injured: on the contrary, it seemed to be in perfect health - if its eyes and fur were anything to judge it by.

"What're you doing here?" the nurse asked, bending down to stroke the Pokémon. Before the Raichu could answer, Hope looked suddenly up and out into the night. She heard footsteps; perhaps this Pokémon was with a trainer, and perhaps an emergency _was_ on its way.

She staggered as she recognised the two figures approaching her in the darkness, illuminated by the light coming through the open door. Her knees turned weak and her hands grasped desperately at the doorframe lest she fall. This was a dream – it had to be. But her dreams did not usually include her daughter, and yet there she was, walking alongside her father, her beautiful face a blank mask.

She was still beautiful, he found himself thinking as he drank in her platinum blond curls and her large, blue-grey eyes. Her mouth was open in a small 'o' as she stared at him. It had been so long, so very long that she was losing grip of the little hope that she had retained – but he had come back. To her daughter's utter shock, Hope walked forwards slowly as though in a trance. She reached out a pale, shaking hand to stroke his face, and she bit her lip as his brown eyes pooled with unushed tears. She then launched herself into her husband's arms, sobbing until her voice box cracked dryly with the strain of it.

-o-

It did not alarm her this time, when the temperature plummeted by several degrees, and a dark shape began to form in the centre of her small bedroom. She merely watched, through lifeless eyes, as Morty materialised, returning Gengar to its Pokéball as he did so. One look into her face and he was by her side. He did not say a word, nor did he need to, he just held her against him, rocking her slightly. She gripped at the front of his t-shirt but made no sound. Her world had been completely turned upside down and now that he was here she could attempt to cope with it.

"Did you know?" she finally whispered, her head still buried in his chest.

Morty lay back on the bed, never once letting go of her.

"I was pretty sure, but not certain. I tried to tell you in Dill Rook…"

She nodded. Another piece of the puzzle that fit.

"He was the one who told me what I was," Morty said quietly.

He sighed inwardly when Rose did not respond. He had no idea what she could be thinking or feeling at this minute, and he had no desire to upset her further by pushing her into speaking when she was not ready. It did not take long.

"She wasn't even angry," she whispered shakily, "he abandoned her, abandoned _us_, for twelve years, and then he turns up on the doorstep, with no explanation, and she just fell into his arms…"

Morty exhaled slowly as he continued to rub her back.

"I have no idea what happened all those years ago Rose," he said, "but…but maybe –"

"I hate him," she mumbled, her teeth chattering in shock, "I don't want him here."

He stroked her hair and kissed her forehead softly. He was inclined to agree with her judgement, but he couldn't help but wonder how_ he_ would feel, what _he _would do if she disappeared for twelve years and then suddenly came back…

"Give it time," he murmured into her hair soothingly, "too much has been going on, it's no wonder you're finding it difficult to process…"

His voice was deep and lulling, and he continued to talk to her, his perpetually warm hand cupping her cheek protectively. She could feel her eyes drooping shut in exhaustion from everything that had happened. She didn't want to think anymore, and with him beside her, his spicy scent filling her head and his soft voice her ears, she was able to put everything aside and slip into a deep oblivion, her fists still clenched tightly around the fabric of his t-shirt.

-o-

Pascalia's funeral was an odd affair for Rose. She found herself offering condolences to a family she did not now and whose grief she could not share.

Blackthorn City was built like a fortress; its high grey walls, complete with cylindrical towers gave the place a forbidding feel but, despite never having set foot there and being a stranger to its inhabitants, Rose felt a strange sense of homecoming.

Blue was the sacred colour of the Dragon Tamers, and so it was a sea of azure that surrounded the pyre, solemn faces turned towards the body of the girl who had had no real chance at redemption, who had been marked for this as long as the stars had shone brightly in the night sky.

Morty gripped Rose's hand hard as she stared up at the shell of Pascalia – her cousin. It was all very surreal, all very regimented, but Rose could appreciate the traditions, despite her apprehension as to what she was about to see.

Words were spoken by the Elder himself. He listed many of his granddaughter's qualities; he touched upon the legend that had claimed both her sanity and her life, and yet under the anguish in his voice there was a tremor of awe for his heritage, and for the long-standing values that the Dragon Tamers upheld. Pascalia's Dragonair was released for the final time, and all watched as it circled the body of the girl, before opening its mouth wide. Rose looked away sharply – this was not something she wished to see. Turning to her left she spotted her parents, their arms wrapped around each other's waists as they watched. She was on speaking terms with both of them, but she still found it easier to watch Pascalia's body being devoured by the blisteringly hot blue flame than she did her parents' love.

-o-

**One month later (December 18)**

Rose frowned as she applied the final touches to her make-up. Over her shoulder, in the dressing table mirror, she could see Morty. He had been acting grumpily all day, and nothing she said to him seemed to help. According to him there was nothing wrong, and he would then shoot her a 'genuine', winning smile. As soon as he thought was she wasn't looking however, his frown would return and he would continue to broodingly play with his cufflinks.

She stood up and smoothed down her dress. Looking up, she couldn't help but smile at the flattering look of appreciation on his face.

"You look beautiful," he breathed, his violet eyes wide.

She blushed and looked down at her dress. It had once again been made by Bianca's parents and she had to admit she was fond of it. It was a dusky pink tulle, moderately full in the skirt, and the bodice was comprised of chiffon roses. They made wonderful ball gowns, it couldn't be denied.

"You look rather beautiful yourself," she laughed, moving across the bedroom to kiss him.

"Whoops, sorry," came Tripp's voice. He had opened the bedroom door without knocking, and was now grinning like the cat that got the cream.

"Sod off, Tripp," Rose muttered as she kissed Morty slowly and deliberately in front of him.

"You can snog later," he said impatiently, unable to bring himself to look at Morty, "the Professor's freaking out Ro – are you ready?"

"Yes I'm ready," she smiled, linking arms with both Morty and Tripp as they made their way down the sweeping, curved staircase of Tarragon Laboratory. They hurried towards the closed doors of the ballroom, and Rose could feel her nerves beginning to jangle as she heard the thrum of people waiting on the other side.

"Only the first dance, Tripp," Morty said menacingly, but his violet eyes were sparkling.

"You never carried out your first threat Morty," Tripp replied cheekily, "how can I believe you'll carry out this one?"

Rose frowned slightly at Tripp's tone, but Morty didn't seem to think anything of it. He rolled his eyes as he recalled their first meeting in Annatto City's Hospital, but he smiled nonetheless. But when he turned to Rose, she could have sworn that the happiness faded from his eyes as he looked into hers.

"I'll see you later," he said somewhat stiffly, pecking her cheek before he left to take his seat.

"You excited?" Tripp asked after Morty had gone. The Professor had waited what he considered to be a respectful amount of time after Pascalia's funeral to stage this next event: the official announcement of the discoveries of Leafeon and Glaceon.

"What the hell is wrong with Morty?" she muttered.

"Morty?" Tripp repeated blankly, "what're you talking about? He's fine!"

Rose did not have time to respond for the doors swung open at that moment, and much like they did on the first of October, Rose and Tripp made their way through the clapping crowd, ready to receive praise for their achievements.

-o-

Morty knocked back a glass of champagne before turning to see Tripp and Rose dancing together, surrounded by the ball's guests. He frowned to himself.

"I wouldn't be worried if I were you," someone said from behind him.

Morty turned to see a young man, in his thirties, watching him closely.

"I'm not worried," he said truthfully, wondering where this man had come from.

"I wouldn't blame you if you were – she's beautiful, isn't she?"

"Yes," he smiled, before his face fell again.

"I'm glad they're friends again," the strange man nodded, taking a sip of his drink, "they were fighting like cat and dog the last time I was with them…but Tripp seems to have mellowed…"

Morty glanced at them again, and smiled as he saw Rose throw back her head laughing at something Tripp had said.

"Who are you?" he asked, rather rudely. He was in a bad enough mood without having to make small talk.

"Horatio Wood," the man smiled, offering Morty his hand, "no need to introduce yourself young man – I know very well who you are."

Morty relaxed. So this was the Pokémon Doctor.

"Rose is still very interested in your offer," he said quietly, his eyes still glued to her.

"I'm very glad to hear it," Horatio said cheerily, "I believe we could learn much from each other, her and I."

Morty nodded, but did not speak. He began to finger his cufflinks once again, before grabbing a drink from a nearby tray and downing it again.

"Excuse me," he said, smiling tightly at the Doctor. He manoeuvred his way through the crowds impatiently, desperate to get out, get some air, and get his thoughts straight. He was almost there, but he was stopped abruptly by a figure colliding with him. He looked down to see Rose smiling up at him, her arms wrapped around his waist.

"There you are," she whispered, her eyes shining, "where do you think you're going? You can't back out of dancing with me…"

He gave her a small smile as she pulled him onto the dance floor, and he moved in close, holding her tightly against him as he gazed into her eyes. Rose tried hard not to show it, for she knew they were being watched, but something in his eyes scared her.

Jay, Bianca, and Amy were sat chatting happily at a small, round table, and they hailed Tripp when they spotted him.

"Congratulations buddy," Jay grinned, handing his friend another drink. Tripp sighed contentedly as he took the weight off his feet. It felt good to be back here, amongst his friends. For the first time in a long time he felt sure about the direction he was heading in. He glanced over at the dance floor and gave a grim smile as he watched Rose dancing with Morty. As much as he loved her, he couldn't help but feel that this might be good for them – for _both_ of them. Because when he and Rose _were_ finally together, wouldn't it be better that she had 'played the field' a bit? Wouldn't it be better that she came to Tripp _knowing _that she wanted nobody but him, the exact way he had experienced it? Tripp told himself that they both needed to get other 'lovers' out of their systems. As soon as their 'relationship' developed on Tarragon Mountain it had tarnished; they hadn't been ready to be together at that point. But now Tripp was ready, and he only hoped that Rose would be sooner rather than later…

"_That's_ not something you see very day," Amy remarked, pointing her champagne flute in Morty and Rose's direction. They were still dancing closely, but they seemed to be having a whispered argument. Morty shook his head and ran his hands through his blond hair frustratedly, before he walked away from Rose and off the dance floor, leaving her with a livid look on her face. Tripp felt his spirits lift, as hard as he tried not to show it. Rose then stormed towards their table, slightly pink in the face and a crease between her eyebrows.

"Good evening," she said brightly, taking Jay's drink from him and swigging from it. She hadn't realised they had been watching her, and they thought it best to keep quiet…at least until she brought it up.

"Where's Morty?" Bianca asked innocently, picking the cherry from her glass and popping it into her mouth. Amy's lips twitched.

Rose rolled her eyes and drank more of Jay's champagne.

"I have no idea," she scoffed, "he's got a rod up his arse tonight…today actually."

Four sets of eyes widened.

"Trouble in paradise?" Tripp smirked without thinking, before he held up his hands in surrender upon seeing the scowl on Rose's face.

"He's been in a weird, shitty mood all day," she said quietly. She wasn't entirely sure why she was confiding in them, until she realised she was scared.

"In what way?" Bianca asked.

Rose chewed on her bottom lip. She could not tell them that the light faded from his eyes every time he looked at her, nor that he couldn't seem to bear being near her for more than half an hour at a time…

"Dunno," she said with attempted indifference, "I'm probably just imagining it," she shrugged.

They all nodded slowly but could not help but notice the tightness in both her smile and eyes. She sat with them for the rest of the evening, but Amy couldn't help but notice that her eyes followed Morty every time he came into view. Strangely, although he looked over at Rose many a time, he made no attempt to join them. Had Rose been less preoccupied with Morty, she could not have failed to notice that Tripp's eyes barely left her face.

By midnight, the guests had started to filter out and Rose, feeling thoroughly miserable, decided that she wanted to go to bed, dive under the covers and hopefully wake up to Morty being normal again. She said goodnight to her friends before gathering her skirts and making her way swiftly from the ballroom. The four of them watched as Morty caught sight of her and abandoned his conversation midway through to follow her.

"What the hell is going on there?!" Jay muttered.

"I have no idea," Tripp frowned. Morty had been fine as far as he could see, but as soon as he started looking out for it, he could tell there was something on his mind, something making him really quite melancholy. Could it really be happening so soon? Would he hardly have to wait at all?

"Me neither," Amy sighed, turning to Bianca, who merely shrugged.

-o-

"Are you going to bed?" Morty asked when she reached the bottom of the staircase. Rose turned to see that he had followed her, and the distance in his violet eyes made her sick to her stomach.

"Y-yes," she stammered, "I'm tired, but feel free to stay…"

He shook his head.

"I'll come too," he said with a very brief smile that did not reach his eyes.

He sat in his boxer shorts on the bed, drumming his heels on the floor as he watched her remove her dress and hang it carefully against the wardrobe.

"You looked amazing in that dress," he heard himself say, and cringed at the awkwardness in his voice.

"Thanks," she said quietly, not looking at him.

He groaned inwardly, his resolve weakening more and more by the second. His hands began to shake as he stared up at her. He opened his mouth, deciding to get it over and done with for what felt like the millionth time, but she spoke first.

"I'm just going to take my make-up off in the bathroom," she said as she pulled on her pyjamas, "Feel free to get into bed, there's no need to wait for me."

Morty merely nodded, furious with himself for letting this happen. As soon as the bedroom door clicked shut, he decided what to do. It would make him look like a complete idiot, but he knew that otherwise he would never say it. Sighing, he made his way to the closed bedroom door, before lowering himself onto the floor in front of it.

Rose desperately tried to staunch her tears as she painstakingly removed her make-up. She didn't think she had ever been this thorough, and she knew it was because she didn't want to go back to him, to see that deadened look in his eyes. She struggled to think what had happened. All day yesterday he had been perfectly happy, _they_ had been perfectly happy, but something had changed and he wouldn't open up to her. All day long, all she had wanted was for him to tell her what was on his mind, and now she thought he might be ready to do so, and she didn't think she could bear to hear it.

There were only so many times she could wash her face however and, steeling herself, she made her way back to her bedroom, determined to face up to whatever life was about to throw at her next.

She blinked upon opening the bedroom door. Morty was knelt directly behind it, still wearing only his boxer shorts, and he was looking up at her with undisguised terror in his eyes.

"Morty, wha-?"

"Willyoumarryme?" he asked in a rush, his eyes tightly closed.

She stood in the doorframe, completely stunned.

Morty opened his eyes slowly, feeling cold as his worst fears were realised - she had not answered. Her face was blank and white with shock.

Very slowly, and never taking her eyes from his face, she stepped into the room and closed the bedroom door behind her. Morty made to stand up, his face a beacon, but she pushed him back down again and crouched down next to him. After what seemed like eternity, a smile of understanding unfurled on her face.

"Is this why you've been acting like a head-case?" she whispered, her voice shaking as she took his face in her hands and kissed him softly on the lips.

Morty nodded as he wrapped his arms around her, pressing her up against him as he kissed her back.

"I became so nervous," he laughed quietly, "and every time I tried something happened – and…I started to get pissed off with myself for being such a coward, and now I've just gone and done it in the most stupid –"

She cut him off with another kiss and ran her hands through his hair. He shivered as her fingertips brushed the nape of his neck.

"There was no need to be nervous," she said breathily, pulling away so that she could look at him properly. He raised an eyebrow at her questioningly.

She smiled as she registered how pink he was becoming, and at the undisguised hope in his shining eyes.

"Of course I'll marry you," she whispered, smiling as she pulled him to the floor, and laughing quietly against his lips as their tears of joy mingled on their cheeks.

**AN:**

**This is not the epilogue, which will be set sometime in the future and will be the very last chapter…but until that sad, sad day - ;) …I hope you liked this chapter – it was pretty darned long and now I have repetitive strain injury from typing…you'd best be grateful ;)**

**Lov x**

**P.S: things are left unresolved between Rose and her parents deliberately – more will come of this as you will see (:**


	37. Chapter 37: Epilogue

"And…Rose?"

Morty remained silent as he held the phone to his ear, his face turning red.

"She -" he cleared his throat, "she won't be here."

Hope sighed heavily down the phone, although she hadn't honestly expected anything else.

"You'll still come?" her son-in-law asked after a moment of uncomfortable silence.

"Of course we will," Hope said quietly, "we want to see you both."

-o-

It had taken three years, but he was finally here. As he gazed up at the domed, glass building, his mouth fell open slightly in awe. He started upon feeling a light pressure on his hand. Ripping his blue eyes from the Champion's Platform, he looked levelly into Candice's own, dark ones.

"You ready?" she whispered.

Tripp nodded grimly, but his legs had seemed to turn to lead, and he could not appear pick his feet up from the ground.

"Are you _nervous_?" his friend asked with a grin, "Please tell me you are - nervous Tripp is _hilarious_."

"Shu'p Candy," Tripp muttered, "I need to focus."

Candice rolled her eyes, but she kept quiet. She was incredibly proud of him. He had grown from strength to strength during the past three years although, due to circumstances outside his control, he was yet to face a Champion. There had been no Champion to face in Sesame after Fernando abruptly abandoned the post. All of Tripp's eight badges, painstakingly collected, amounted to nothing when the League was in such turmoil. When it had finally been fixed, his badges were no longer valid: Cristine was eventually made the new Champion, a fire type trainer from Kanto had become the newest member of Sesame's Elite Four, and Morty had taken over Callisto's Gym…

Tripp could not bring himself to challenge Rose's _husband_ – the thought still made him feel sick with fury. It only seemed natural, then, to start afresh, to collect eight more badges and challenge another Champion…and here he was. He and Candice had travelled most of the islands in the nearby regions, training their Pokémon hard and seeing things they never expected to see. After two and a half years of island hopping, Tripp was left very tanned and Candice very burned, and they finally made their way to Hoenn. After a gruelling six months Tripp had managed it. He had eight badges; he had a formidable party of Pokémon; and he had a flaming desire to prove himself.

Steven was waiting, and Tripp could feel his nerves mounting. He had met the man once during his travels through the region, and had been more than impressed by him. He exerted an easy confidence which somehow did not come across as arrogant in the slightest. He had even heard of Tripp due to his work with Professor Willow, and he was only too willing to dish out praise of his own. All of this somehow made the idea of challenging him all the more terrifying. With a trainer like Lance, his self-assurance could perhaps be manipulated; even Fernando's stubborn reliance on his own superior blood-line might mean that gaps could be found in his seemingly unbreakable armour, but Steven…Steven was a genuinely honest person – and that in itself was a challenge. If he hid nothing from his opponent, what could they attempt to thwart?

Tripp pondered this through narrowed eyes as he made his way up the steep staircase to the Champion's Platform. He was barely aware of the security guards checking the four stamps upon his hands, proof that he had in fact defeated each of the Elite Four, and he continued to walk, trance-like, through the building, before making his solitary way through the automatic doors.

The hall was completely silent. Tripp walked tentatively through it, alone now – for only those with the four stamps could enter.

A genuinely warm smile lit up the Champion's face as he recognised his challenger, and his amber eyes glowed in satisfaction.

"I can't say it's a surprise to see you here, Tripp," Steven said quietly, "but I will admit I'm impressed that you're here so soon…how long did it take you to collect all eight badges?"

"Roughly six months," Tripp said. He tried to grin at the Champion but the muscles in his face did not appear to be co-operating with his brain.

"Only six months…"

"Hoenn is a lot larger than Sesame, the scale of the land is incredible…in Sesame I collected all eight badges within four months."

Tripp bit his lip then, worried he had come across as arrogant: he knew that he was wont to do that at times. If Steven had thought this, however, he made no indication of it.

"And yet you did not challenge Sesame's League?"

"There was no League to challenge," Tripp admitted, "Fuego left in November, and another Champion was not selected until a year later when Cristine returned from her travels…"

"Ah yes, with Callisto?"

Tripp nodded.

"Why, may I ask, did you not return to Sesame after travelling the islands? You only would have had to obtain one badge there as opposed to the full eight here to challenge the League?"

Tripp blushed. There was something in Steven's eyes that he found unnervingly knowing. Apart from Jay, nobody was aware of Tripp's feelings for Rose. It was all too raw, too humiliating. He had been convinced it would never happen – that she would eventually be his. Any thoughts of her still caused him to experience a strange sensation in his chest. He was pretty sure that she lived in Ecruteak City now, and he had neither seen nor heard from her since he had left Tarragon City three years ago, on that horrible, surreal morning. The image of her, wide-eyed, pale, and waxen, wearing only Morty's t-shirt as she begged him to believe her, came unbidden to his mind, and the sensation in his chest returned once more.

"Tripp?"

"S-sorry, I –"

"I understand," the Champion said truthfully. His own travels around Sesame had had to be halted when he met a Gym Leader that he could not bear to challenge, whose violet eyes and ash-blond hair still made his fingers tingle when he thought of them. Battling was far from a black and white experience: emotions always played a large part in the outcome…Steven inhaled deeply.

"I was not attempting to sabotage you," he said with a smile, his amber eyes twinkling.

Tripp gave a shaky laugh and ran his hands through his cropped, dark hair.

"You realise if I lose I'm going to blame you now?"

Steven chuckled and he took a step towards his challenger.

"_If _you lose? You're very confident I see…"

Tripp grinned and wiped his perspiring hands on his jeans.

"We will each use six Pokémon; there will be no substitutions," Steven whispered, his eyes, for the first time, very serious.

Tripp gave a grim nod. He could feel his pulse in his throat and his ears, and he swallowed hard and took in a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself.

"Are you ready?"

Tripp attempted to reply, but all that came from his throat was a hoarse grunt.

Steven gave a small smile before he selected a Pokéball from his belt.

"I'm going to start with…Skarmory!"

Tripp felt a rush of adrenaline surge through him. All of a sudden it hit him what he was trying to do. Without any time to dwell on it, he reached for his own belt and selected his own Pokémon.

"Houndoom, let's go!"

Steven gave a small nod of approval.

"Let's start with Steel Wing!"

Skarmory was terrifyingly fast, and Houndoom was hit rather badly.

"Come on Houndoom! Fire Blast!"

Steven cringed from the intensity of the heat, but couldn't stop himself smiling slightly. Tripp was evidently a trainer who wished to cause as much damage as soon as possible: sometimes this tactic worked, but sometimes it simply meant that the Pokémon grew too tired too quickly.

"Use Rock Tomb!"

Tripp gaped as Houndoom whimpered in pain; he had no idea a bird Pokémon could use rock type attacks. But then again, Steven was obviously Hoenn's Champion for good reason…

"Fire Blast Houndoom!"

"Use Aerial Ace!"

The attack wasn't particularly effective, but Houndoom went down, and Skarmory easily dodged the misplaced stream of fire.

Tripp nodded slowly to himself; this was never going to be easy. He just needed to remember Candice's advice – there was no real time limit in choosing your next Pokémon – he needed to give himself time to breathe…

"Go Beedrill!"

Steven raised his eyebrows in disappointed surprise: this was a very strange decision, and he couldn't help but hope that Tripp was going to pull something unexpectedly fantastic out of the bag. His hopes were dashed, however, when he noted the fresh panic in Tripp's blue eyes. There were, of course, no substitutions allowed. It pained Steven to do it, but he could not lose deliberately.

"Poison Sting!" Tripp ordered before turning, if possible, even paler when he registered that poison type attacks did not affect Skarmory. This, coupled with the obvious type disadvantage of bug verses flying meant that Tripp had landed himself in a very sticky situation indeed – and he knew it.

"Use Fly," Steven ordered quietly.

Beedrill went down in one, not even having touched the steel bird Pokémon. Tripp returned his Pokémon silently to its Pokéball, and considered his position. How could he have been so stupid? So careless?

"_But seriously, you guys, especially you Tripp, need to learn your advantages and disadvantages by heart…it'll make your decisions in battle not only easier but more effective..."_

The words reverberated through his brain in Rose's high, clear voice. He started slightly, unaware that he even retained that memory from over three years ago. But she was right – he grimaced as he conceded that she usually was – and he decided to act on her advice. He racked his brains, and as far as he could see, there was one obvious choice.

"Come on Jolteon!"

Steven gave a small smile. This was more like it. Now things might get difficult for him.

"Steel Wing Skarmory!"

"Use Agility and dodge it Jolteon! Then use Thunderbolt!"

Skarmory screeched as the lightning hit it, but it wasn't about to go down already.

"Now show it your Aerial Ace!"

Jolteon couldn't avoid this attack, but he merely shook off the pain and returned to battle, his hackles raised.

"Use Thunder!"

The whole stadium was filled with lightening and Tripp and Steven both had to shield their eyes from the blindingly bright flash of light. Skarmory stood no chance, and fainted heavily to the ground.

"That's more like it," Steven smiled as he selected his second Pokéball, "but let's see how you cope with Cradily!"

Tripp's eyes widened; he had never seen a Pokémon resurrected from a fossil before. There was something clearly prehistoric about its genetic make-up, but he couldn't quite pinpoint what it was…he shook his head in order to get himself back in focus. Now really wasn't the time to get side-tracked.

"Rock Slide! Now!"

Jolteon howled in pain, and Tripp closed his eyes tightly. He had no idea that Cradily was part rock type…but it made sense. For why would Steven have sent a pure grass type Pokémon out against an electric one?

"Use Quick Attack Jolteon!"

"Ancient Power!"

Jolteon seemed to freeze as Cradily began its attack. Colossal rocks, bigger than Jolteon himself, rose out of nowhere and hovered menacingly in the air before they came crashing down on the electric type Pokémon. There was silence from the battle ground. Jolteon had quite clearly fainted.

_Just think of type – that's all that matters. You have your strategies, you know all of your Pokémon, just concentrate on_ types.

"Let's go Piloswine! Use Ice Beam!"

Tripp did not want to stall: he liked to inflict damage early on; he liked the have the upper hand from the off.

Cradily screamed unearthily as it was buffeted by the ice, but it still managed to stay standing.

"Use Grass Knot now!"

Piloswine reeled from the super effective attack, but Tripp did not allow himself to be overcome by his panic. It was now or never.

"Blizzard Piloswine!"

He wasn't sure if it was the imminent danger from the dual grass type, or perhaps just more intense training, but Tripp had never known Blizzard to be so forceful. Cradily was down without a hope of defending itself. Steven did not smile, but his eyes were twinkling.

"I see you're getting into the swing of things," he nodded, "most interesting…"

Tripp said nothing; he could not allow himself to drop his composure.

"Come on out Metagross!"

This Piloswine was strong, and Steven wanted to eliminate it from the battle as soon as possible.

The huge steel Pokémon screeched menacingly as it was released from its Pokéball, and Piloswine froze in shock at the mere size of it.

"Use Iron Head!"

"Bulldoze Piloswine!"

Both attacks were super effective and both Piloswine and Metagross cringed in pain.

"Meteor Mash! Now!"

Piloswine yelped and staggered.

"Don't give up! Use Earthquake!"

"Levitate off the ground Metagross!"

The attack had no way of making contact.

"Now finish it with Metal Claw!"

The air rushed out of Tripp's lungs in a shallow huff as he stared at Piloswine, unmoving on the floor.

"Are you going to switch Pokémon, Tripp?" Steven asked quietly.

Tripp blinked and came to. He wasn't aware of how long he'd simply been staring at his Pokémon. Giving a small nod, he took a new ball from his belt.

"Good job Piloswine," he croaked, "go Golem!"

Steven gave a small smile: this would be exciting; neither had the type advantage, and Metagross was already quite tired.

"Use Bulldoze now!"

Before Steven could react, the attack hit critically and Metagross, perhaps his strongest Pokémon, was down. It was always a risk, he knew, using his strongest simply in order to eliminate one particular opponent…and this time it may not have paid off…but he still had two good options against this rock/ground type Pokémon.

"Come on Claydol!"

Tripp grimaced. Ground and psychic he was pretty sure. Golem wasn't going to be much use here; he only had Golduck left after this, and he had no idea what types Steven's other Pokémon were. Unusually, he did not appear to be sticking to one type alone…Tripp could only do his best: he did not have the ability to substitute anyway…

"Psychic Claydol!"

"Withdraw Golem, and use Defence Curl!"

The psychic attack practically bounced off Golem's immensely hard shell, and Tripp allowed himself to breathe.

"Earthquake Claydol!"

Tripp blanched: for reasons unbeknownst to him, Golem seemed to be badly affected by ground type attacks, even though he was dual ground type himself. It made no sense to Tripp whatsoever, and he flushed as he admitted to himself that types, one of the simplest aspects to Pokémon training, had always been his weak point.

"Withdraw again! Defence Curl!"

Once again, most of Claydol's attack was deflected, but Golem seemed to be breathing heavily. Tripp knew he had to try and inflict some damage; but none of the moves he could think of would hurt Claydol very much, if at all…

Golem turned to stare meaningfully at his trainer. He had an idea, an idea that would surely work, but he did not want to use it without being commanded to – he would not shame Tripp in that way.

Tripp realised that his Pokémon was desperately trying to communicate something to him, but he couldn't understand what it was. Golem was growing increasingly more agitated however, and so Tripp simply nodded at him, letting him know that he gave his permission for Golem to do whatever he thought best- Tripp had none of his own ideas.

"Use Psybeam!"

Golem, without command, withdrew once again, and once the attack passed over his head, he emerged from his shell, and flung the item in his hand with all his might.

"Fling," Tripp whispered under his breath. He had given Golem a Hard Stone at the beginning of the tournament in a bid to boost his rock type attacks: the Hard Stone was expensive, and Tripp would never have thought to use if offensively. But Claydol was not be affected by rock type moves – Golem's move was ingenious.

Claydol flailed in pain from the super effective dark type move, and Tripp decided to finish it.

"Rock Slide! Now!"

Unfortunately for Tripp, Claydol was far too highly trained to succumb to one rock type attack, and it shook it off, badly weakened, but still determined.

"Earthquake Claydol!"

Tripp groaned as Golem fell heavily to the floor, his mouth slack and his eyes tightly closed. He had, inevitably after the ground type attack, fainted.

One left. One against three. Tripp gulped inwardly. He did not know what types Steven's Pokémon were, so he couldn't even plan a strategy, and he had no idea whether or not he was in with a chance. He took heart, however, from the fact that Claydol was looking severely battered and bruised. He was at least confident that he could win _this_ particular battle with Golduck.

"Come on out and use Brine!" he ordered.

Steven cleared his throat quietly as Claydol immediately crashed to the floor and was unable to get up again. He did not show it, but he began to worry slightly. He still had two Pokémon against Tripp's one, but in terms of type advantage, Tripp certainly had the upper hand…

"Go Armaldo!"

Tripp had never seen a Pokémon like it, and he couldn't decide whether it looked more like a bug or a reptile of some sort.

"Rock Tomb now!"

The attack hit but Golduck was barely affected.

_Rock type_ – Tripp thought to himself in satisfaction.

"Use Aqua Jet!"

The Armaldo staggered, but managed to right itself.

"X-Scissor!" Steven ordered, but once again Golduck managed to shake his pain off with ease.

Tripp took heart from this; he was in with a chance – he could potentially win this…

"Golduck, use Hydro Pump!"

The strongest water type attack left its mark and Armaldo, after only two attacks, fainted.

Steven didn't know whether to feel horrified or amused; it was one on one now, and again, Tripp had the type advantage. However, Aggron was on top form, so Steven knew that this would in no way be an easy battle for Tripp...

"Let's do it Aggron! Use Metal Claw!"

Golduck winced badly; Aggron was clearly at a higher level than Armaldo had been.

"Use Hydro Pump!" Tripp yelled, determined to finish this. To his horror, however, despite being super effective, Aggron appeared to recover easily from the water type attack.

"Iron Tail Aggron!"

"Dodge it Golduck! Use Brine!"

Golduck did not quite manage to dodge Aggron's attack, and his beak snapped loudly in pain.

"Metal Claw again!" Steven commanded almost instantly, and Golduck fell to the ground. To Tripp's relief, his Pokémon stood shakily to his feet, not yet defeated.

"Hydro Pump!"

Once again Aggron did not seem too bothered by the immense gush of water, merely shaking it off as he continued to advance on Golduck.

Tripp felt himself break out in a sweat. His whole life he had waited for this opportunity, and now it was about to snatched from him. Years of hard work, sweat, and blood (and a couple of hidden tears) would all be for nothing if he and Golduck couldn't pull this off. He found himself wishing that he had saved Golem until last – although water type attacks were undeniably strong against Aggron, Tripp knew that here ground type would be even better…

Unbidden, another memory, long forgotten made its way to the forefront of his mind: _"it would make a difference, but that still doesn't detract from the fact that Headbutt is a normal type move and Geodude is a rock type Pokémon!"_

"_Ooh yeah…I forgot that moves could have types too…"_

"_It's a very important thing to remember; the better you know your types and weaknesses, the better you'll do in battle."_

Moves had their own type…

"Golduck use Dig!" Tripp yelled in excitement. He may yet have a chance.

Steven's eyes gleamed. Tripp was showing some initiative, and suddenly the offence was no longer one-sided.

Aggron roared as its prey disappeared under the ground. The great silvery-grey Pokémon looked frantically from side to side, as though it was expecting an onslaught of pain.

"Be careful now Aggron," Steven warned.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Aggron was flung into the air by an upward driving force; Golduck emerged from the ground, breathing heavily, his eyes gleaming in triumph.

But Aggron was not finished. It growled as it tried to regain its breath, but Tripp could see that it was left horribly weakened. It was just as Tripp had suspected – water was super effective, but ground was more so, and this whole time Golduck had known the perfect attack. Tripp felt a thrill of exhilaration run down his spine. He only had one choice really.

"Use Dig again!"

-o-

Hope smiled sadly and squeezed her husband's hand as she gazed down at the child playing happily on the rug. She glanced over at Morty and saw that he was repeatedly glancing at his watch, his face growing more and more agitated as the minutes passed. Fernando also noticed this and sighed heavily as he stood abruptly from the squashy, leather sofa. The look of relief on Morty's face was almost comic.

"You're leaving?"

"Yes, we'd better," Hope said quietly, "It's a long flight back to Sesame…"

"And Charizard is still not overly comfortable flying in the dark," Fernando added.

Morty gave a grim nod.

He could tell that Hope was deliberately lingering, that she wanted to 'bump' into her daughter, but they were all aware that it would never happen.

"Well goodbye then," Fernando said, smiling at the little boy who had grasped the leg of Morty's trousers.

"Say goodbye Jas," Morty told him quietly, pushing him gently towards his grandparents.

Hope couldn't prevent the tears pooling in her eyes as she gazed at the little boy. It was true, that even at two and a half he was the spitting image of his father, but those bright brown eyes of his haunted her.

"Goodbye little one," Hope whispered, crouching down beside her grandson.

"Ma?" he said with a frown as he reached out to grab one of her white-blond curls.

Hope raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"He always plays with Rose's curls," Morty said with a smile, "I suppose you're the only other person he's seen with curly hair…"

"Let's go, Hope," Fernando said quietly as he placed a hand comfortingly on the small of her back. Hope gave a stiff nod before she kissed the little boy on top of his dark blond head. He grimaced, and they all chuckled quietly.

Morty hoisted his son up into his arms and, standing in the doorway, he waved as his parents-in-law mounted Charizard and began the long flight west towards Sesame.

"It never gets less weird," he sighed to his son, whose only response was to curiously jam a small finger into his father's eye.

-o-

She frowned as she approached the small, grey-brick cottage, for a warm, dim light was still shining in the downstairs window. Removing her key from her bag, she quietly inserted it into the lock, careful not to make a sound. She crept through the hallway and peeped her head around the living room door. Smiling now, she made her way silently through the lamp-lit living room and had to bite her lip to prevent herself from laughing aloud at the sight.

Morty was lying flat on his back, fast asleep on the sofa, and Jasper was in exactly the same position, only his father's chest was his sofa equivalent. Rose couldn't help but roll her eyes when she noted that it was gone nine o'clock, and her son was once again not in bed – but she didn't really mind.

She carefully lifted the sleeping child from Morty's chest and held him close against her. He was warm and drowsy, and he snuggled down into her arms.

"Ma!" he said clearly, his large, bright brown eyes lighting up as he saw who it was.

"Shh, now," Rose whispered to him, "it's bed time isn't it?"

Jasper shook his head and tried to rub the sleep from his eyes, but Rose began to rock him soothingly in her arms as she made her way carefully up the staircase. Before they reached his bedroom, he was asleep once more. She lay him gently down on his bed and pulled his blanket up to cover him, but she had to stifle a laugh when he rolled onto his back, one arm raised above his head: it was just how Morty slept.

-o-

Morty stirred as he felt a cool hand brush his cheek.

"Don't tell me I have to carry _you _upstairs too?"

His eyes snapped open in alarm, but he relaxed and grinned upon seeing the dancing light in hers.

"Did I do it again?" he mumbled, attempting to shield his eyes from the table lamp.

"Yes, you did," Rose laughed quietly as she lay down beside him on the sofa. Morty pulled her towards him so that her head was nestled in its usual spot on his chest, before he lifted her chin and kissed her lips softly.

"Did you have a good shift?" he murmured as his finger traced her cheekbone lightly.

Rose could feel her eyes fluttering closed.

"It was fine," she whispered breathily as he began to kiss her neck.

"Well I'm _certain_ these are contaminated," he grinned, tugging at her green scrubs, "so if you don't mind, I think they're going to have to come off…"

Rose bit down on her lip to prevent herself laughing out loud, but she gasped as she felt his warm hands on her bare skin, and she lost herself in the intoxicating oblivion that was completely him.

-o-

Tripp's eyes narrowed at the incessant stream of camera flashes that followed him to Lilycove City. It had been headline news that Steven had lost, and Tripp was certainly feeling the strain.

He had wanted to become a Champion to be respected and to feel that he had personally achieved his goals – he had not wanted to take part in endless photo shoots. But apparently there was a lot more expected of a Champion than simply being an expert battler…

The dressing room studio was pleasantly cool after the bustling crowds outside, and Tripp sighed heavily as he reclined on the chair that had been set out especially for him. He didn't quite see what this top stylist was supposedly going to do to him – he thought his hair and clothes were fine, although his Pokémon could probably do with a spruce up after their intense battle…

"…so you'll have to cancel my three o'clock," a young woman said as she entered the dressing room; she was speaking into an earpiece and her strawberry blond head was turned in the opposite direction to Tripp, "but I should still be able to make the later appointment…hopefully…yeah…'kay, gotta run!"

She turned to face Tripp, and her jaw dropped.

"Tripp?! _You're_ the new Champion?!"

He managed a shaky laugh after he got over his initial shock.

"So it would seem…and _you're_ the top stylist in Hoenn?"

"Apparently so," she laughed, her grey eyes sparkling.

It was a strange experience, and neither really knew what to say, not having seen each other for three years. Tripp had grown even taller, and he now wore his hair much shorter than he had as a teenager. His face had hollowed somewhat, and his blue eyes stood out starkly in his tanned face. Likewise, Amy had changed. She had allowed her hair to return to its natural strawberry blond, and she had grown it past her shoulder blades in bouncy waves. She had abandoned her wardrobe of bold colours that washed out her pale, creamy skin, and was instead dressed in a pale yellow, floaty dress that made her grey eyes glitter.

They both began to turn slightly pink in the awkward silence.

"So, er –" Tripp began, "sorry if I've made you have to cancel anything today," he said quietly.

"Don't be silly," Amy smiled, "it's only a client…and one I'm not too fond of at that…"

"Not…not personal plans then?" he asked lightly.

"No, no," Amy said quickly, her creamy skin flushing a delicate pink, "I don't have any personal plans this evening…"

"Would you like to?" Tripp asked boldly, smiling slightly as he took a small step towards her. He needed to get Rose out of his head once and for all.

Amy bit down on her lower lip in embarrassed happiness. When he smiled she couldn't help but be reminded of the way she used to feel. But they were older now, and something felt sweeter somehow.

"I don't see why not," she whispered.

-o-

Morty and Rose awoke with a start as a shrill scream pierced the night.

"W-what?!" Morty mumbled incoherently as Rose leapt off the sofa.

She was trying to force her scrub top over her head, and Morty finally processed what he'd heard. He only had to pull on his underpants, and so managed to sprint up the staircase and into his son's room before her.

The child was writhing on his bed, his little legs tangled in his bed covers. Morty bent to scoop him up against his chest and stroked his dark blond locks soothingly.

"Hey, Jas, hey it's okay, it's only a bad dream," he whispered into his son's ear, shaking his head at Rose and smiling slightly as she appeared in the doorway. She let out a sigh of relief and returned her husband's smile.

Jasper continued to sniffle quietly, and so Morty carried him through to their bedroom, laying him gently between them in their bed. The three slept peacefully for the rest of the night, aided by the fact that when Jasper cried out they had not turned on his bedroom light, and so they had not seen his eyes transition into a sinister amber-yellow, before they returned to their usual brown.

**AN:**

**This took a while and I apologise, but I recently started a new job!**

**Writing this has been an amazing experience for me, and I want to thank all of you who took the time to read this and especially those who reviewed (:**

**To run the risk of sounding incredibly lame here, writing this helped me through what could have been an incredibly tough patch (apologies for sounding ridiculous), and I therefore really appreciate all of your lovely feedback. If it hadn't been for my lovely reviewers I can't imagine that this would have even been finished.**

**I hope you enjoyed (:**

**Lots and lots and lots of love,**

** x**

**P.S: don't forget to read 'PTSD' – it's still part of this story, I've just published it as a separate one (for obvious reasons once you've read it :D)**


	38. Volume II: Prelude

**Hello again lovely readers! I just can't seem to let these characters go! This is just a little bit of fun really, but it's going to be the basis of the sequel which, to be honest, might come along sooner than I had initially planned!**

**For those of you who haven't read 'PTSD' (another of my stories on this site – see my profile) this is set a couple of months afterwards. It isn't necessary to have read 'PTSD' to read this, but I think it'd make more sense to do so first if you haven't already.**

**This is a lot shorter, and a lot lighter in tone (you may be pleased to note!) but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless, and know that there will be more to come!**

**As always, I'd love to know your thoughts on it (:**

**Lots and lots of love, **

** x**

"Don't be so stupid," she laughed as she pushed his dark blond hair from his eyes.

"Stop saying that! This is important –"

"Yes," she conceded, "but so is the Opening Ceremony, and it's your first year as Tarragon's Gym Leader!"

"And this is my first child!" he said dramatically, causing her to burst out laughing again.

"You're not missing the_ birth_," Rose said as she rolled her eyes, "it's just a stupid yoga class."

But Morty still looked unimpressed.

"I feel like some sort of layabout husband…"

"You're _working_; and I wouldn't want you to miss this!"

He hesitated, chewing on his lower lip as he scrutinised her face.

"I'll try and get away early," he said, "if I can."

Rose sighed in exasperation, but she couldn't help but grin.

"As if you'll get the chance!"

Morty folded his arms; he was clearly unimpressed with the situation, but Rose merely grabbed her bag, kissed him on the cheek, and left their flat with a wink.

-o-

The studio was large, airy, and cool. Rose blushed slightly as she pushed the door gently open. Five couples and the yoga instructor were already present, and sat in a large circle on the wooden floor.

"Rose is it?" the instructor asked warmly as she consulted her list.

"Yes," Rose smiled hesitantly.

"My name's Alison, and I'll be your instructor until the baby's born," she said with a smile, her eyes roving over Rose's small, neat bump, "this here is Mary and Patrick," she said gesturing to a slightly older couple nearest Rose, "Holly and Dylan, Emily and Simon, Lucy and Jake, and Sarah and Brian."

Lucy and Sarah both gave Rose a look that reminded her very much of the one Miki gave her when she was sixteen; i.e. a very unwelcoming one. She blinked in confusion, wondering if she had made some faux pas she wasn't aware of.

"Come and sit down Rose," Alison said, "you're on your own today then?"

"Er – yes," Rose cringed, "my husband had to work today unfortunately."

She could have sworn she heard Sarah give a very quiet snort, and could feel the flush creeping up her neck in response.

"Next time then," Alison beamed, as she gestured Rose take a seat beside Mary and Patrick, "shall we begin?"

As Alison was explaining the importance of the father being involved in the labour, Rose caught Mary's eye. She must have been around forty, and she had a very kind face and wide eyes. Rose gave her a small smile, which she returned.

The first twenty minutes of the class were simple enough: everyone sat on their own separate mat, and Alison took them all through some individual, gentle stretching exercises.

"Now fathers, sit behind your partners with your legs either side of them – Rose, you can come with me for this bit!"

Rose caught Mary's eye once more and both of them had to stifle their giggles.

"You'll have to teach your husband all of this when you get home so he doesn't fall behind!" Alison joked as she positioned herself behind Rose, before saying, "Good gracious girl you're tiny!"

Rose blushed; she had never been very tall and it didn't bother her, but the nasty looks she was being thrown by Lucy and Sarah, who were easily the youngest – and slimmest - after her, made her feel very uncomfortable indeed. Lucy leant over to mutter something to Sarah and, although she couldn't hear what is was, Rose knew it was about her, and she felt her face flame all the more brightly.

They continued to practise breathing exercises for the next forty minutes, until the half hour break was announced. Rose took a seat next to Mary once again.

"How far along are you?"

"Four months," Rose told her, "you?"

"Five," Mary smiled, "you really _are_ tiny aren't you?" she said, "look at your lovely little bump! I suppose it helps being so young…I'm forty-one and this is my first baby!"

"I'm eighteen next month," Rose laughed, "and everyone I know thinks I'm crazy for having one so young…"

"So you're only seventeen? How old were you when you got married?!" she asked as she spotted Rose's simple wedding band.

"Seventeen," Rose grinned, "We were only married in January."

Sarah and Lucy shot Rose scathing looks as they made their way to the toilets.

Mary watched Rose's face as her eyes followed the young women out of the room.

"They don't like you being here," Mary smirked in satisfaction.

"Why not?!" Rose whispered, pleased it wasn't all in her head, "what on _earth_ have I done to them?!"

"Well they're no longer the youngest or best looking," Mary winked, "and you should have _seen _Sarah's face when her husband caught sight of you…"

Rose blushed.

"Mary! Don't be ridiculous!"

"It's true," Patrick said quietly with a grin, from where he had been listening in, and Mary gave Rose a smug look.

Rose's mouth fell open. She was flattered by their comments, but she couldn't help but feel indignant. Could Sarah and Lucy really be so against her because of her _looks_?!

"I'm going to the loo," Rose muttered; she felt a little fed up. This always seemed to be the case for her – random females seemed to dislike her suddenly and intensely.

-o-

"As if she's even _married_," Rose heard someone say from one of the cubicles.

The girl in the next cubicle snorted.

"Tell me about it – I wonder how many classes she turns up to where her husband's 'working'."

The heavy sarcasm was easily discernible.

"Blatantly a one night stand," the first voice said smugly, "pretty embarrassing though – why wouldn't you just admit it?!"

"She looks about twelve," the second voice answered (Rose was pretty sure it was Sarah), "_I'd_ probably pretend I was married too!"

Lucy and Sarah exited their cubicles and came face to face with Rose who, in her shock, was rooted to the spot. To Rose's astonishment, they did not look ashamed or even surprised to be caught out; they threw her identical scathing looks before leaving the room.

Rose felt the tears spring to her eyes, before she grew annoyed with herself. What did she care what they thought of her? She knew the truth, and she hadn't come here to make friends or to prove anything. Besides, Mary and Patrick were lovely, she'd just concentrate on talking to them.

Back in the studio, Alison was handing out mugs of herbal tea.

"I thought it'd be nice if we got to learn about one another," she said, "after all you're all on a wonderful journey, and I think it's important to connect with those who are undergoing the same experience."

Rose sighed inwardly. Perfect. Another situation in which she could be judged…

Lucy and Sarah's husbands both worked in a big financial company, which did not surprise Rose in the slightest (they were slightly paunchy and, although she felt awful for thinking it, they looked very rich – and dull), and Lucy and Sarah themselves did not work. Emily was a jewellery designer and her husband Simon was a teacher, Holly and Dylan owned a restaurant, Patrick was a pilot, and Mary a florist. It was everyone's first baby.

"And Rose?" Alison asked, turning towards her with a bright smile, "tell us all about you!"

"Er – well," she cleared her throat, "I'm seventeen," she deliberately looked away from Sarah and Lucy whom she knew were giving her dirty looks, "and this is my first baby too."

"And what do you do? Do you work?"

"I'm a trainee doctor," she said stiffly, waiting for the vindictive snort which, sure enough, came from Sarah's direction.

"Lovely!" Alison exclaimed, "a right old clever-clogs you must be!"

Rose gave a pained smile, desperate for the attention to be off her once again.

"Excellent; right then - shall we begin the second half? We'll have another hour of yoga, followed by another half hour break, before a final half hour of class – all right?"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Now Rose, if you'd like to partner me again?"

The next hour was highly uncomfortable for Rose, and she found herself growing more and more furious with Lucy and Sarah's attitudes. She knew they were attempting to bully her for some reason, so she therefore refused to allow herself to lose her temper. Nevertheless, it was getting more and more difficult to keep her composure when, every time Alison mentioned Rose's husband, a snide remark or snigger would come from their direction.

"Shall we have another break?" Alison finally announced.

The group breathed a collective sigh of relief, and made to sit on the chairs at the back of the studio.

"Oh, oh!" Sarah exclaimed suddenly, "Alison? Can we please turn on the television? It's the Opening Ceremony of the League today!"

Alison merely shrugged in confusion, but nodded as she went to make yet another pot of herbal tea for the group.

"I _love_ the Opening Ceremony," Lucy gushed as they changed to the correct channel.

"Me too!" Sarah said, "And they're going to be interviewing that new Gym Leader, Morty."

"Oh my God yes!" Lucy squealed.

"He's so _hot_!" Sarah said emphatically, and her husband Brian jokingly cleared his throat. "No offence babe, but I wish this child was his!" Sarah continued.

Everyone except Mary, Patrick, and Rose burst out laughing.

"She's so pathetic," Mary muttered, looking over at the blond Sarah with distaste.

"Mhmm," Rose agreed, but she couldn't help but feel a nervous, fluttery excitement at this interesting change of events.

"Are you at all interested in Pokémon training, Rose?" Patrick asked.

"Yeah, I am actually," she smiled, "I was on a journey last year – I got a few badges."

"Oh really?" Mary asked in surprise.

"Yeah…my dad was the Champion until last year too…"

Patrick's mouth fell comically open.

"Fuego's…? He's not your _father_?!" he gaped.

Rose turned red and regretted saying anything; she wasn't really talking to her parents if she could avoid it, and this certainly wasn't something she wanted to have to explain…luckily she was saved from saying anything else.

"Oh my _God _there he _is_!" Sarah shrieked as she turned the volume up.

Rose glanced up at the television suspended on the wall and felt her heart swell with warmth. Morty was on screen, but she could tell he was uncomfortable in the limelight. He kept wetting his lips with his tongue, and attempting to run his hand through his hair; in his discomfort he seemed to have forgotten that he was wearing a headband and that there was no reason for him to do this.

"So Morty!" the newsreader began, "you're the up-and-coming talent of the League this year! How're you finding Sesame?"

"I quite like it…actually yeah – I really like it," he smiled.

"That Johto accent is so _cute_!" Lucy sighed.

Rose couldn't help but notice that Lucy and Sarah's husbands didn't quite know what to do with themselves whilst their wives so blatantly lusted over the Gym Leader on screen.

"And that _hair_…"

"He makes earrings look cool," Lucy mused.

"He makes _anything_ look cool," Sarah said with a girlish giggle.

Rose couldn't help but feel surprised – she didn't realise that Morty had quite such a fan base…she continued to smile softly at his image on the screen.

"Do you fancy him too or something?" Mary whispered, nudging Rose in the ribs, "gonna join the fan club?" she winked, and jerked her head in Sarah and Lucy's direction.

It seemed like such an absurd question that Rose couldn't help but laugh loudly – much to Sarah and Lucy's annoyance.

"It's been a busy year for you all around, hasn't it Morty?" the newsreader continued, "Are we right in thinking you were married earlier this year?"

Morty nodded and gave a small smile, before attempting to run a hand through his bound hair once again.

"He's married?!" Sarah whined from the other side of the group.

"Yeah – to _me_ secretly!" Lucy laughed.

"He's very young to be married…" Mary mused quietly, "What is he? Twenty-three? Four?"

"He was twenty-two in August," Rose supplied quickly, before blushing.

Mary gave her a strange look.

"Now are you _sure_ you don't want to go and join the fan-club?" she asked teasingly.

Rose simply gave a half-shrug, unsure what to say. If she was honest, she was enjoying watching them make fools of themselves over _her_ husband. She couldn't help but grin to herself.

She could tell that Morty was preoccupied because she knew him so well, but even the newsreader couldn't help but notice there was something other than the League's Opening Ceremony on his mind.

"Morty?" he repeated, "How_ does_ Tarragon Gym differ from Ecruteak's?"

"I-I'm sorry," Morty gave a sheepish smile, realising he hadn't answered the question, "well, in actual fact…"

"Watch this," Rose whispered to Mary as she took her mobile phone from her pocket. She sent a quick text, and Mary gave her a puzzled look, "just keep watching the telly," she said, unable to keep the grin from her face.

"Why, why, _why_ is he so attractive?!" Sarah groaned, and Lucy nodded wide-eyed in agreement.

Meanwhile, on the television, Morty stopped speaking mid-answer, and reached into his own pocket to retrieve his phone.

Mary cottoned on pretty quickly, and her head snapped in Rose's direction. She surveyed her with wide green eyes – an ecstatic, triumphant smile on her face.

"_Please_ tell me _he's _your -?"

Rose nodded gleefully.

"And this whole time they've been -?"

Rose nodded again, tears of laughter springing to her eyes.

Mary sat back in utter satisfaction, before she turned to Rose once again.

"What did you just text him?!"

"I just said if he wanted an excuse to leave he should come here," she said, her bright brown eyes shining, "I know he hates publicity…"

"I can't help but think you have something else on your mind, Morty?" the newsreader said with a half laugh.

"Yeah…I'm sorry," Morty grinned, "it's just…I think there's somewhere else I ought to be…y'know?"

The newsreader gave a knowing smile.

"If it's anything to do with what we've recently heard, I say get on your way son!"

Morty gave a bashful laugh and, with a final goodbye, he left the screen.

"Morty of Tarragon Gym," the reader announced again, "a fantastic trainer and, from what we've seen this morning, he's probably going to be a fantastic father too! Good luck to him and his wife!"

"He's having a _baby_?!" Sarah said in disgust. She sat back heavily in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest moodily.

"He's so young though," Lucy said in awe, "and it's pretty cute that he's just left the ceremony isn't it? To see his wife?"

Sarah sighed dreamily, and Lucy giggled along with her.

Brian and Jake continued to shift awkwardly in their chairs, both feeling like third wheels in their own relationships.

"Please _God_ tell me that husband of yours is on his way here?" Mary muttered, a smile of pure glee on her face.

"I think he probably is," Rose grinned.

"How long?!"

"It could be a matter of minutes," Rose laughed, thinking of Gengar.

Lucy and Sarah continued to discuss all of Morty's 'fine assets' for the final five minutes of the break, and Rose could feel her excitement – and apprehension – mounting.

"Right everyone!" Alison called, clapping her hands together, "shall we get in our positions for the final half hour? Rose, if you'd like to partner me again?"

Just as they all sat comfortably on their mats, and Rose had stood to join Alison, there was a gentle knock on the studio door.

Everyone's head turned towards it.

The door opened slowly and carefully, and Morty flushed pink when he saw the sea of faces staring at him. Rose risked a glance at Sarah and Lucy and was pleased to see that their mouths were perfect 'o's of surprise and shock.

"Can I help you?" Alison asked kindly, although she looked rather confused; she clearly did not follow the Pokémon League.

"Er –"

"It's okay Alison," Rose grinned, "this is Morty – my husband."

"Ah bravo! Lovely to meet you, Morty – do come and take a seat beside Rose!"

Morty flashed Rose a quick wink as he made his way through the room towards her. His smile dropped from his face, however, when he noted the way that everyone was staring at him.

"Shall we continue then?" Alison suggested.

"Why is everyone staring at me?" Morty muttered through his teeth.

"Oh no reason," Rose whispered back breezily. She desperately wanted to look over at Sarah and Lucy, but managed to refrain. It would only look childish, and anyway, she was sure that Mary would be only too willing to fill her in later…revenge was sweet.


	39. Volume II: The Beginning

Morty's eyes softened as Rose gave a wide yawn.

"Shall we go to bed?" he suggested.

Rose shot him a guilty look.

"N-no we should stay up!" she said with another shuddering yawn.

His eyes came to rest on her abdomen, heavily rounded in her late pregnancy.

"I don't want you to get tired out," he smiled as he leant over and kissed the top of her head. She shifted closer to him on the sofa.

"I know, but if we keep going to bed this early I'll hardly get to see you," she muttered grumpily.

Morty laughed at her tone, before resting his hand gently on her stomach.

"Well we've only got a couple of weeks left…" he said, the excitement clear in his violet eyes, "and then we'll _both_ be off work."

Rose nodded happily. She did actually rather enjoy being pregnant, but she couldn't deny that she desperately wanted to meet their baby – and finally find out what it was.

"Come on then," Morty said with a smile as he gently helped her up from the sofa, "let's get into bed."

Rose smiled gratefully back at him; it was only nine o'clock, but she had been feeling so sleepy lately.

Suddenly, she took a sharp breath inwards and her hand flew to her lower stomach.

"Rose?" Morty said, his head snapping in her direction, "what is it?" he asked as he made his way rapidly over to her.

Rose relaxed and smiled at him.

"It's nothing – just a twinge," she said, "I had one earlier too."

"You did?! Why didn't you tell me?" he gasped.

"It's really nothing," she said reassuringly, rising onto her tiptoes and kissing his cheek softly.

"But –"

"It'll be Braxton Hicks," she said confidently, "if labour was this painless I'd be laughing!"

"You're sure you're okay?" he asked, staring at her intently.

"I'm absolutely fine," she smiled.

-o-

Rose rolled her eyes ruefully as she looked over at Morty. Despite the early hour he was flat on his back, and out cold. The League season had begun in October, and he spent many hours a day in the Gym, fighting battle after battle. As much as he loved his job, Rose knew that it was a lot busier in Tarragon City than it had been in Ecruteak, and that he was very much looking forward to when the baby came – not that it would be particularly restful.

She gave a sharp gasp again as she felt yet another twisting in her abdomen, but it quickly passed. Breathing slightly more heavily than usual, Rose rolled onto her side in an attempt to get more comfortable but, try as she might, she could not get to sleep. She sighed in annoyance, and raised herself up on her pillows, her arms crossed grumpily over her chest. Her eyes were itching with tiredness, but she just couldn't seem to drift off. Listening to Morty snore lightly was just making her desire to sleep worse, and so, taking the throw blanket with her, she shuffled, yawning, to the sofa.

She could feel herself finally drifting off after about an hour of watching late night television. Her eyelids drooped sleepily and she was – somehow – finally comfortable. But, as she was just welcoming the oblivion of sleep, her abdomen twisted sharply again. Rose was suddenly wide awake, and irritable. Now that she was fully awake she appreciated how cold she was and, muttering moodily under her breath, she made her way back to their bedroom.

"You all right?" Morty mumbled as he felt her slide into bed next to him.

"Yeah I'm fine," she whispered, "just can't sleep."

Morty leant over and switched on the lamp.

"No, no," Rose insisted, "honestly, please go back to sleep – you have to be up early."

Morty merely smiled sleepily at her and gathered her into his arms. He kissed her temple gently and Rose felt herself relax against him.

"You've got to let your Ma sleep," he told her bump, as he rested his warm hand upon it. The baby kicked, and they smiled at one another.

"It always kicks when you speak," Rose said drowsily as she snuggled further into him. Suddenly, she tensed as pain shot through her again.

"Rose?"

"It's nothing, I swear," she said, her face tightly screwed in pain, before it passed just as quickly as it had come.

"That's the third time today," Morty said, becoming more alert. Rose could not bring herself to tell him it was actually the fourth, "I-I think we should go to the hospital," he said, his teeth beginning to chatter from nerves and excitement.

But Rose shook her head.

"I'm not in labour," she insisted, "I've still got two weeks and besides, my waters haven't broken – you know if we go to hospital they'll just send us back again."

Morty frowned.

"I still think we should go – to be safe."

"Mary said she had Braxton Hicks for about two weeks before Erin was born," Rose told him," and the hospital told her only to come back when her contractions were three minutes apart!"

"Hmm," Morty replied, sounding thoroughly unconvinced, "okay – but you_ need_ to tell me if you get any more – there's no way I'm going to be at work when this happens…"

"I think your fear's a little premature," Rose giggled and she rested her head upon his chest, "these cramps are at least an hour apart right now."

"Just let me know okay?" Morty yawned, before he kissed her lips softly and the two of them finally fell asleep.

-o-

She didn't have to let him know. At three in the morning Morty's eyes snapped open as Rose gave a sharp gasp of pain. He sat up quickly to see her clutching at her stomach.

"Rose?" he asked nervously, pushing her dark hair from her face, "Rose are you all right?"

"I-I'm okay," she breathed, lying back on the pillows as the pain passed. It took longer this time, which did not go unnoticed by Morty. She was aware of him checking his watch, and gave a small smile. "I still don't think we have to time them yet," she said tiredly.

Morty did not answer, but continued to stroke her hair.

"Do you want anything?" he asked.

"Would you mind getting me a banana?" she said after some thought – she felt a little sick, but hungry too.

When Morty arrived back in the bedroom, banana in hand, Rose's face was once again scrunched in pain.

"Come on my love," he said seriously, "let's get you to hospital."

He had never felt so terrified and so excited at once.

"My waters haven't broken," she said calmly now that the pain had passed again, "there's no point – I'm not in labour!"

"Rose, there was about two and a half minutes between those contractions!"

"Fluke," she insisted. He was starting to annoy her – she was training to be a doctor – she liked to think she knew more about it than he did.

Morty continued to monitor her warily as she ate her banana.

"Morty honestly," she said, rolling her eyes, "please go to sleep – there's no need for you to feel rough tomorrow."

"You know I'm not going to sleep," he said stubbornly.

Rose sighed and popped the end of the banana into her mouth before closing her eyes tiredly.

"It's been about five minutes since that last one," she said, "I'm not in labour."

Morty must have fallen asleep, because that was the last thing he remembered hearing until two hours later: it wasn't a gasp this time so much as a cry.

"That's it – we're going," he said, grabbing the overnight bag that they had packed for the hospital only days ago.

Rose nodded jerkily. She wouldn't admit it, but the severity of that last pain scared her. As they made their way down the staircases to the street below, Rose stopped and whimpered, clutching at both her stomach and Morty's arm.

"Can you walk?" he asked softly, dropping the bag and taking her into his arms.

Rose gritted her teeth, her eyes screwed tightly shut in pain. It finally passed after about thirty seconds, and she nodded.

"Come on," he smiled, helping her into his jeep, before he drove as quickly as he dared to the hospital.

-o-

"And how far apart are the contractions?" the midwife asked Morty; Rose was bent double and unable to speak.

"A-about two minutes, I think," he said shakily.

The midwife nodded before shooting them a wide smile.

"We'll get you settled into a room," she said, helping Rose into a wheelchair, "then she can be examined and if all's starting up we can think about some gas and air."

Morty merely nodded, and Rose exhaled loudly as the pain finally eased.

"Ooh yes," the senior midwife exclaimed after having examined Rose, "we're definitely on the way!"

"But my waters haven't broken!" Rose insisted, wide-eyed.

"More often than not they break during labour, not before," the midwife told her kindly.

Rose swallowed. She wasn't sure she was ready for this to happen.

She glanced over at Morty as the midwife left the room.

"H-how am I so misinformed?" she said with a shaky laugh.

"I suppose your area of expertise is Pokémon…not humans," he grinned at her. His excitement was building, although he certainly didn't like seeing her suffer.

Rose considered this before she laughed again.

"I guess you're right – giving birth is slightly different to laying an – aargh!" she cried, her hands once again flying to her abdomen.

"Rose?" he said, moving over to her bed, "you're okay, you can do it, you know how to breathe – come on now…"

Where was the midwife? She was supposed to be bringing pain relief. This contraction lasted a lot longer than the others had, and didn't seem to be easing – or did Morty just feel that way in his panic?

"Rose – I'm going to go and find someone –"

"N-no," she croaked, gripping onto his t-shirt, "don't leave me alone, _please_."

For the first time since it had begun, a tear rolled down her cheek. Morty wiped it away with trembling fingers, his violet eyes fixed on the corridor beyond their door, willing someone to come along.

"Of course I won't leave you if you don't want me to," he whispered as he rubbed her back, "I'm not going anywhere."

She nodded, relaxing once again as the pain, finally, left her. Looking into his face she smiled at the worry that was creasing between his eyes.

"This is no picnic," she joked weakly.

They sat together in expectant silence for a while, but still no midwife came. Morty winced as Rose's grip on his hand suddenly tightened, and she began to breathe shallowly.

"Hey, it's all right," he said softly, masking his inner fury that they were still waiting for someone to come and help. Rose tried to nod, but the pain was building. The sharp twisting in her stomach was like nothing she had ever felt, and it was now radiating around to her lower back. She yelped in pain, and leant over, sweat beginning to bead her forehead.

"Hello, hello!" the midwife called cheerily as she bustled into their small room, "having another one?"

"This is the second since you left," Morty snapped.

The midwife was not perturbed by his cold manner; after all high emotions were just part of the job.

"Let's get you comfortable," the midwife said kindly to Rose, "have you brought something to wear or would you like a hospital gown?"

"I've got something in my bag," Rose said weakly; she was looking rather pale.

"Good, good, I have the gas and air here for you – next time you feel a contraction just breathe into this mouthpiece here – it should work wonders for you – most get on very well with it. I'll be checking on you soon to examine you again, but give me a shout whenever you like!"

Morty nodded curtly and Rose gave the midwife a weak smile.

"Would you mind getting my nightdress?" Rose asked as she struggled out of her pyjama top and bottoms. She wished she could have kept them on, but she knew she couldn't fully cover her bottom half. Cold sweat began to prickle at her back as she realised what she was soon expected to do.

"What's the matter?" Morty whispered, his eyes anguished at the tears in hers.

"N-nothing, I-I'm just a little scared…" she tried to smile.

"Of the pain?" he asked quietly.

Rose nodded and Morty kissed her nose as he helped her pull the nightdress over her head.

"It's going to be fine," he said, although both his voice and hands were shaking. He hadn't expected that they would be left so very alone – and he was frightened.

Morty felt himself tense as Rose grimaced in pain again. Helping her onto the bed he handed her the mouthpiece for the gas and air.

"J-just breathe it in," he said, aware he had no clue how to use it, "take nice deep breaths," he continued, his hand protectively on her lower back.

He assumed it worked, because the canister wheezed as the gas moved up towards the mouthpiece. He did not interrupt her, but allowed her to steady her own breathing, not leaving her side nonetheless.

After a minute or so she stopped, and allowed her head to fall back on the pillows.

"Is that better?" he asked nervously, but Rose shook her head, her face crumpling as tears rolled down her face, "what's the matter? What can I do?" Morty begged, feeling his own tears spring to his eyes. He hated feeling so useless, and he hated that they had no support. How could he go and get help when doing so meant leaving her alone like this?

"I feel dizzy," she slurred, "and sick."

She continued to sniffle, but not long afterwards another contraction came, and she held her breath, trying desperately to get through it.

"Come on Rose, you have to breathe through it," Morty encouraged her, "don't hold your breath – you don't want to make the pain worse."

She was trying, he could see that, but he had no idea what to say, and no idea how to alleviate her discomfort. Where the fuck was that stupid midwife?

"Hello again!" she trilled as she bustled into the room, "that's it Rose, breathe through it, take some more gas, it'll help with the pain."

"I don't…like it…" she gasped.

"It's making her feel sick," Morty said, "isn't there anything else?"

"Not this early on," the midwife said, "keep it natural as long as possible, walk around the room if you can – I'll be back in a bit – you're doing brilliantly Rose!"

Morty's violet eyes narrowed in fury as she left the room again.

"Come on my love," he said quietly as he helped her to stand up, "walk around a little if you want – I've got you."

Rose managed to nod, but she had not managed to walk the perimeter of the bed before she doubled up in pain again.

"For fuck's sake," Morty muttered; he poked his head out of the door but there was nobody in sight.

"Don't leave me," Rose whispered, her brown eyes hazy with pain and fear.

"I'm not," he said soothingly, "I'm not going anywhere."

Rose nodded again, before crying out. She groped for the gas mouthpiece and Morty handed it to her. She sucked desperately on it, her hand gripping the bedsheets with all her might. Morty continued to rub her back, at a complete loss as to what he should do.

Rose let the mouthpiece fall and began to cry weakly into her hands.

"Rose?" Morty croaked, "talk to me, what can I do?"

"I feel so dizzy," she continued to sob, "but it still _hurts_."

Morty could feel his tears running down his cheeks and falling off his chin – but he didn't know what to do to help her.

"Do you want more gas?" he asked, and he handed her the mouthpiece. Rose grasped at it and began to suck on it compulsively again, but once more she let it fall, crying miserably as she tried to stand up.

"This is ridiculous," Morty seethed as he helped her remain upright. He couldn't bear seeing her like this, and there was no way in hell he was going to leave her. He obviously wasn't a midwife, but he knew she needed more assistance than this – this couldn't just be the early stages of labour.

"Hello Rose," the midwife said, popping her head around the door, "how're we doing?"

"The gas and air is making her sick!" Morty growled, "can't she have something else?"

"It all depends what stage we're at," the midwife said, "you have to be at least four centimetres for an epidural."

Morty sighed in relief as the midwife snapped on a pair of latex gloves.

"Up you get lovey," she said kindly as she helped Rose back onto the hospital bed, "Morty, would you like to get some air? She'll be fine with me."

Morty went to shake his head, but Rose had already exclaimed "No!" - her eyes wide. The midwife tutted quietly in disapproval.

"I'm not leaving you," he said, stroking her hair and kissing her forehead as the midwife lifted her nightdress to examine her a second time.

"Four centimetres," she said, the surprise evident in her eyes, "and you've only been here an hour!"

"So she can have the pain relief – the epidural – right?"

Rose nodded desperately; she couldn't take any more of this.

"I'm afraid not," the midwife said, shaking her head, "the epidural needs to be administered by an anaesthetist, and ours isn't here yet."

"_What_?" Morty spat, and Rose's head fell back onto the pillows in defeat.

"I said, the anaesthetist isn't –"

"Where are they? When will they _get_ here?"

The midwife recoiled at the fury in Morty's eyes.

"There's no need to take that tone," she said coolly, "they will arrive soon, and Rose is doing well on her own –"

"Please," Rose gasped, her face white as she was hit with another contraction, "please get me something else – _anything_ else."

The midwife rolled her eyes as Morty rushed to her side once more.

"But Rose, darling," the midwife insisted, "you've still got a fair way to go…"

Rose shook her head, her teeth gritted.

"I. Haven't," she managed to pant.

The midwife pursed her lips.

"I've just examined you," she said calmly, "and you're only –"

"Are you going to bring her some pain relief or not?" Morty interrupted, glaring at the middle aged woman.

"If you insist," she said snippily, "but it may prolong your labour is all I'm saying."

She left the room once again, and Morty ran his hands through his dark blond hair in frustration.

"S-sorry," Rose sobbed as she watched him.

"What?! Why are _you _sorry?" he asked, brushing away her tears with the back of his hand.

"I'm o-obviously being a wimp," she sniffled, "from what the midwife said it's only just the beginning…"

She felt her back break out in a cold sweat again as she considered how much worse this pain could potentially get.

"Shh, shh," he whispered comfortingly, "she doesn't know how you're feeling – everyone's different," he said kissing her clenched fist.

Rose tried to nod, but her hands flew to her stomach again as another wave of pain, stronger than all of the others coursed through her.

The midwife rushed back into the room, a small case with her.

"This should help you," she said gently. Her anger had abated when she left the room; she knew that tensions could run high, and she knew that they were overstretched at the hospital. They were such a young couple, they were bound to be scared, and she knew very well that fear could bring out the worst in people.

The midwife began to set up a needle, and she carefully measured the drug as she took it up into the syringe.

"W-what's that?" Rose asked, trying to sit up straighter.

"It's just a needle," the midwife said soothingly.

"N-no, the drug – what it is?"

"It's a painkiller, it'll help with the contractions."

But Morty understood.

"What's the name of the drug?" he asked quietly.

The midwife pursed her lips again; did this young man not trust her to know her medicines?!

"It's pethidine," she said with the air of trying to compose herself.

Rose's eyes widened considerably and she tried to shuffle backwards on the bed.

"N-no!" she gasped, "I-I'm not taking that!"

"I assure you it's perfectly safe, most women –"

"I don't want it!"

"Now Rose, if you don't want the gas and air this is your only option; we also have diamorphine which is slightly slower acting, but I think this would be -"

"I don't want either of them!" she insisted, her breath coming in ragged bursts. Morty's hands began to shake – he had never seen her look so scared. He remembered, with an unpleasant rush, the events of the previous June, and he felt his blood run cold in his veins.

"Rose, this is the only –"

"SHE SAID SHE DOESN'T WANT IT!" Morty roared, casing the midwife to jump in alarm.

"Now _really_," she snapped, her eyes narrowed, "there is no need to lose your temper!" she said, eyeing Morty with much distaste.

"She. Is. In. Pain," he seethed, he had only once in his life felt this helpless, this out of control and reliving it was making him feel sick – he couldn't even begin to think how Rose was feeling, "she needs the anaesthetist; we'd both appreciate it if you went and _found_ one."

The midwife glared at him, before leaving the room. She had never felt so infuriated by a father, but she would not allow herself to lose her temper.

"Morty…" Rose croaked weakly.

"I'm sorry," he said, "I'm so, so sorry, I didn't mean to make a scene…"

But Rose shook her head, gasping as another contraction wracked through her. In all honesty, she didn't care. She was wholeheartedly relieved that he was on her side, and that he didn't mind losing his cool for her sake.

"I can't do it," she whimpered. Morty felt his arm go numb as she gripped it with all her might.

"Yes you can, you just need to breathe," he whispered to her. He didn't know what else to do. He never imagined they would be in this situation. Where was the support? Where were the doctors? Why was there nobody who could administer an epidural?!

"Morty it hurts," she gasped.

"W-why don't you have some gas?" he said desperately, anything to help her, "just a little bit?"

Rose shook her head and groaned as she tried to heave herself from the bed.

"I-I can't lie down," she panted, "my back –"

Morty hadn't checked his watch in a long while, but he was pretty sure this was the longest contraction by far. Rose leant over the bed, crying desperately as she tried to breathe through the pain. Morty continued to rub her back, his own tears causing his eyes to sting.

Suddenly there was a gushing sound, and Rose wailed in fear. Morty looked down to see that her waters had broken on the floor – and still there was nobody to help.

Her limbs began to shake, and all colour drained from her exhausted face. Her breathing became even more shallow, and she struggled to remain upright.

At that moment, the midwife and the anaesthetist appeared at the door.

"Good grief," the midwife said as she looked at her patient.

"She's gone into shock," the anaesthetist exclaimed, springing into action.

Morty felt the blood drain from his face. She was so white, and her limbs were shaking. Her eyes rolled and drooped as she struggled to stay conscious.

"Keep talking to her Morty," the midwife shouted as he helped the anaesthetist hold her limbs still.

All he could hear was a roaring in his ears. Instructions were barked at him, and he unconsciously carried them out, his eyes never leaving her face. A doctor sprinted into the room.

"Shock from severe pain and lack of ventilation to the tissues," Morty heard him say somewhere in the back of his mind, "we need to get her blood pressure stable again – this is no good for the baby – keep her conscious Morty – you're both doing great."

Morty felt himself nod. But his own limbs were leaden, and all he could do was stare at Rose. He could hear snippets of conversation, shouted orders and soothing tones. Bodies moved quickly around the bedside, all intent on their own task, but all that Morty could do was stare at Rose, holding on tightly to her slack, but trembling hand. Reality came rushing back to him when Rose roused and wailed weakly again; the volume seemed to be turned up and everyone in the room was moving at about one hundred miles per hour. Morty felt himself get shunted to the side as the medics crowded around her bedside.

Rose's eyes were screwed shut with pain, and sweat was beading her forehead, but she was still crying out his name.

"I-I'm here," Morty croaked, taking hold of her face in his hands as she continued to writhe and pant.

"You need to keep nice and calm," the midwife was saying as she assisted the doctor and the anaesthetist, "and you need to keep breathing lovey."

Rose shook her head but could not speak. Morty knew it was the pain.

"Can't she have the epidural now?" he heard himself say – his teeth began to chatter again.

The anaesthetist gave him a grave look.

"We can't administer it when the body's been in shock," he said, "Rose is going to have to do this herself now."

He felt his heart break as he saw her face in reaction to these words. All he wanted to do was hold her and take it all away – he had no idea how anyone coped seeing their wife go through this.

"Come on now Rose," the doctor said from where she was positioned at the base of the bed, "we can just about see the head now – you need to keep breathing, in and out okay? And as soon as you feel that pressure you need to push, all the way down, right into your bottom, all right?"

Rose sniffled slightly, but she managed to nod.

"Morty? Would you like to come and have a look?"

Both Morty and Rose shook their heads, and Rose gripped onto him more tightly.

"I'm not going anywhere," he said, his voice breaking as he stared into her eyes.

The midwife found herself smiling at the pair. At first he had irritated her, but she could see now what it was; it was as simple as the fact that he loved her, and he could not bear to see her in pain. She could also gauge enough about Rose's social history to realise why she had vehemently denied both the pethidine and the diamorphine, and she felt herself marvelling at what the young couple must have been through together…

"This is it now," the doctor smiled after Rose finished with a particularly long push, "one more and I think we're going to have a baby!"

Rose continued to breathe in and out, Morty's hand in hers the only thing keeping her sane. She could feel the shock threatening to engulf her body once again, but she would not let it. She was exhausted, completely and utterly, and she did not even want to think what the pain she felt down below meant for her anatomy, but she concentrated with all her might on what they were all telling her, and she steeled herself as she once again felt that overwhelming pressure in her abdomen.

In another rush of liquid, she felt something slide between her legs and she collapsed backwards onto her pillows once more, her tears coming hard and fast. Morty bent over her, crying just as hard as she was, and she grabbed desperately at him as she felt his tears soaking her neck.

"Here we are," the midwife exclaimed in exhaustion a few seconds later, holding a tiny little bundle wrapped in a white swaddling towel. She placed the baby on Rose's chest, and felt her own eyes fill with tears as the new parents gazed upon their son in wonder for the first time.

-o-

"You're still shaking a little," Morty said quietly, watching in awe as Rose fed their son. Their _son_. He was now two hours old, and they were still trying to come to terms with the fact that the horrifying ordeal was finally over.

Rose nodded slowly. Her brown eyes were rimmed with dark, bruise-like circles, and she was still very pale.

"I still feel really weak," she admitted, smiling nonetheless as she tapped her son's tiny nose.

"You were -" Morty trailed off, unable to find the words.

"Ridiculous?" Rose offered quietly.

"No," he frowned, "you were the opposite – you were incredible."

Rose gave a small, shaky laugh.

"I think not, somehow."

"You were," he whispered as he stroked her cheek, "you were so brave."

"I should probably have just taken the pethidine," she sighed, her face relaxing into his hand, "then I wouldn't have gone into shock…and endangered him."

She smiled down at the baby again, and a fluttering heat filled her chest.

"No," Morty said, and his voice was surprisingly strong, "you did the right thing…and you did it all with no pain relief, Rose. That's…it's-" he once again seemed unable to find the words. She was amazing, and he had never felt so proud of her, nor so in love with her.

She looked up into his eyes and smiled tentatively.

"Thank you Morty," she said, very quietly, as her tears began to form again. She didn't feel that that statement was enough for what he had done for her, but she knew if she spoke any more she would start to cry again.

Morty looked at her incredulously, and shook his head; she had no reason to thank him as far as he was concerned. His violet eyes softened with warmth as they roved over both her and that tiny bundle. He didn't think he had ever been so terrified in his life as he had been in the early hours of that morning – he even, with a rueful smile, believed that it may have rivalled his experience in Dill Rook. It had been so much worse fearing for her life than his own, and he never wanted to go through it again.

"You hold him," Rose smiled, as she carefully passed the tiny baby over to his father.

She felt her heart expand in her chest as she watched them together, Morty cradling the tiny boy in his arms for the first time, his violet eyes wide, and a look of utter joy and complete amazement on his tired face.

**AN: They never seem to have an easy time of it…poor buggers! Please review – and let me know what you think (:**

**P.S: these are just ramblings really – but they all lead up to the sequel!**

**Love A x**


	40. Chapter 40: Rose verses Morty

'Thunderstruck' - AC/DC

'Enter Sandman' - Metallica

She wasn't stupid. There was obviously something on his mind. It had been going on for a few weeks now, and he clearly had no intention of letting her in on it. Still, she continued to monitor him closely, for what felt like the millionth evening in a row, her lips growing tighter and tighter as she surveyed the far-away look that was becoming all too characteristic of his usually care-free violet eyes.

"Morty…what's the matter?" she finally sighed.

He glanced over at her and blinked in surprise.

"What's the matter?" he repeated blankly, "what do you mean?"

Rose crossed her arms over her chest and raised her eyebrows incredulously.

"What?!" Morty said defensively.

Rose glanced over at the five year old Jasper who was playing happily with Raichu on the living room rug.

"Don't you 'what?' me!" she hissed, her bright brown eyes flashing. Now she had finally brought this issue into the open, she could feel herself growing more furious.

"Rose – I seriously have no idea what you're talking about," he said with a lop-sided smile.

From the rug, Jasper gave a large yawn and rubbed tiredly at his brown eyes, so like his mother's.

"Come on you," Morty smiled as he scooped his son up into his arms, "I think it's about time you got some sleep isn't it? Hmm?"

Rose's eyes narrowed as she watched her husband and son leave the living room and begin to ascend the stairs. She could hear Jasper's usual bedtime arguments, but she wasn't really registering anything anymore. She felt unpleasantly cold and prickly. He had avoided her question.

She waited on the sofa until Morty came back downstairs – and she could swear he was deliberately taking longer than usual.

"Rose?" she heard him call quietly from upstairs.

"Yes?" she replied listlessly; she could feel the uncomfortable prickly feeling intensifying. He was never like this; he never kept anything from her.

"Are you coming upstairs?"

Rose sighed as she switched off the television and living room lamp, and made her way upstairs to the bedroom they shared. Morty was already in bed.

"Are you all right?" he asked her; she was looking rather pale.

Rose merely shrugged, before making her way to the bathroom to brush her teeth. She did her best to stop panicking, and yet she still had to take several calming breaths before she made her way back to him.

"You didn't have to come to bed," Morty yawned as she reappeared.

"What do you mean?" she snapped.

Morty raised his eyebrows slightly at her attitude, but he knew her well enough not to aggravate her…

"It's a little early is all I meant – I wouldn't be offended if you wanted to stay downstairs…what's wrong?" he asked. She had started to chew nervously on her lower lip and, unless he was mistaken, her cat-shaped brown eyes had filled with tears.

"What's wrong with _you_?" she whispered, still standing in the doorway of their bedroom.

Morty opened his mouth to deny anything was wrong, but then he wondered – why shouldn't he tell her? It could only help after all…

"Come and sit down," he said quietly, shifting over to make room for her.

Rose could feel her heart beating in her throat, but she moved through the room and perched on her side of the bed. Why was he looking like that? What was on his mind that he had to think so long about how to best word it?

"I suppose I hadn't really thought about it until now," he began, his forehead creasing slightly, "but I guess I'm just a bit…bored?"

Rose felt the blood drain from her face, but she swallowed, and managed to give a stiff nod. She wished she had never asked. She would have been happy to have never heard those words come from his mouth. But surely it wasn't a case of ignoring it forever? If he was unhappy it was always going to come to light – whether she had forced it into the light or not…

"Rose?"

But she could not speak, and merely stared at him through deadened eyes. Suddenly, Morty's own eyes widened, and he gave a small chuckle as he shifted closer to her.

"Now my love, I know you're hypersensitive and that you need grand gestures to feel loved," he winked, "but before it becomes necessary to crank out the boom-box and power ballad, can I just confirm that my boredom is nothing to do with you – or our relationship?"

His lips were twitching, and he couldn't help bursting out laughing when he saw the relief pass over her face.

"Why do you always assume the worst?" he said as he pulled her dark hair from her face, "have I ever given you reason to think I'm not happy with you?" he continued with a wry smile.

"No," Rose sighed, and her own lips twitched as she considered her rashness, "sorry," she mumbled.

Morty laughed and kissed her on top of the head.

"In all seriousness though, I'm finding my job pretty dull," he sighed.

Rose's head snapped in his direction; surely she hadn't heard him correctly.

"What?!"

"Well the job itself is great…I always wanted to be a Gym Leader, but now…well -" he looked stumped.

"Now…?"

"I just feel like I can't remember the last time I had a really decent battle."

Rose's eyes widened.

"But you only gave away a Fog Badge a few days ago?!"

"I know – but the battle itself wasn't that great…"

"I don't understand," Rose said flatly.

"What don't you understand?"

"Surely if you lose a battle there have to be _some_ exciting elements to it? A struggle? Maybe a moment you were convinced you had it in the bag?!"

Morty snorted.

"I always 'have it in the bag'," he said, rolling his eyes as he collapsed tiredly back on the pillows.

Rose stared at him.

"You've lost me."

Morty gave a great sigh and propped himself up on his elbows again so he could see her face.

"None of those battles excite me, because I know I can win them if I want to."

"But Morty…you've given away loads of Fog Badges recently…"

"Yeah – to trainers who I think have potential," he shrugged.

Rose's mouth fell open.

"You can't _do_ that!" she shrieked, and she hit him in the face with her pillow – hard.

"What?! Rose – calm down -"

But she continued to clobber him with the pillow.

"Morty! Have you been _deliberately_ losing Gym matches?!"

"I've had to! I can't win them all! What's the point in an unbeatable Gym Leader?!"

"What's the point in kids thinking they can beat you when they can't?!" Rose retorted, "Morty - that's against the League Rules!"

He blushed slightly, but stood his ground.

"Rose – you don't get it! Nobody would challenge me! Ecruteak Gym would probably close!"

"It wouldn't close," she said stubbornly, "it would just need a new Leader!"

"Which would leave me _where_ exactly?"

"Oh I don't know," Rose said sarcastically, "maybe in a higher position?!"

"The next rank is the Elite Four," Morty said with a disbelieving laugh, "as if I could –"

But Rose was glaring at him.

"Will's leaving the Elite Four," Rose said, her arms folded over her chest.

"So?"

"So they're one down."

"Rose…"

"I think you should talk to Lance."

Morty grew increasingly more red.

"I'm not that good –"

"When was the last time a challenger beat you?" Rose interrupted.

Morty's mouth fell open and he closed it again.

"Well?"

"I don't know," he mumbled.

"I think you should go for it."

"I'm not strong enough! Okay?!" he yelled.

They both froze as they heard Jasper stir in the next room, but he settled down again.

"What're you doing?"

Rose was changing into a pair of jeans and boots.

"I'm challenging you," she said brightly.

"What?"

"I challenge you to a Gym Battle."

Morty began to laugh, but he soon stopped when he registered the look on her face.

"You have to accept."

"The Gym's officially closed," he said smugly.

"I'm either going to challenge you now or in the morning – take your pick."

She had that grim, set look on her face; he knew she was being completely serious.

"Rose…I'm sure you could beat me fairly easily."

"You're a Gym Leader, and have been for…nine years? I don't think this is going to be an easy battle somehow…"

Despite the absurdity of the situation, Morty could feel his nerves come alive. He did not want to fight her, but because of that he could feel the adrenaline pumping through his body and he felt – _excited_.

"Okay…" he said slowly, his violet eyes glinting, "I accept your challenge, but I have some conditions."

"Oh?"

"I'm going to do my very best to beat you, and I want you to promise to do the same."

Rose nodded, and she gave a small smile when she saw the sparkle in his eyes and the flush upon his cheeks. She hadn't seen him looking so animated in a very long time.

"And we're both to use only one Pokémon each – our highest level."

"Raichu verses Gengar?" she grinned, "I like it."

They stared at one another, and both burst out laughing.

"Are we really doing this?" he asked.

"Yes," Rose replied, "I think this is very necessary."

-o-

Drifblim and Seadra were looking after Jasper, and so Rose and Morty made their way through the dark, empty streets of Ecruteak City, towards the silent Gym.

"This still feels very odd," Morty remarked.

"I find it odd that in six years of being together we've never had a battle," Rose smirked.

"Do couples normally battle?"

Rose shrugged.

"You're asking the wrong person."

They stopped outside the Gym, and glanced at one another.

"Why're we doing this again?" Morty sighed; he didn't really want to battle her.

"Two reasons," Rose grinned as she stroked his face, "the first is because I'm now genuinely curious as to how strong you are…and the second because I think you could do with a decent battle to kick-start your enthusiasm…I know it's been a while since I took a Gym Challenge…but I still hope I'm more of a match for you than a fifteen year old…"

"Right," he said grimly, "I appreciate your reasons…shall we do this?"

"Don't we need an umpire?"

"I think we know enough about Gym matches to make those calls ourselves," Morty laughed.

They were inside now, and he could feel his heart slamming against his chest. Why was he so bloody nervous? It was only Rose, for God's sake. He knew he wouldn't care if she beat him, and he also knew she wouldn't care if it were the other way around…but his blood felt as though it were on fire, and his hands were shaking slightly. This was going to be a real challenge; he could feel it. She wanted to push him, to see what he could do – and he wanted her to push him too.

He made his way to his familiar end of the Gym and turned to face her, for the first time, as his challenger. He smiled as he appreciated how little she was, standing across from him. There was something in her though, that made up for what she lacked in height. Was it the flashing in her eyes? The set of her jaw? Or the determination in her very stance? He didn't know, but whatever it was it was both intimidating and invigorating. Despite how intimately he knew her, he knew this part of her not at all. She was a completely fresh challenge, and he couldn't wait to see the techniques she used in handling her Pokémon.

"So we'll each use one Pokémon…and there will be no time limit."

Rose felt her throat turn dry. The lighting in the Gym was very clever indeed. Morty's face was thrown partially into shadow, and she couldn't deny that it gave her the shivers. Like his cousin's Gym in Tarragon City, the air was thick with incense and, with a thrill that ran right through her, Rose felt a rush of nostalgia for the excitement of a battle that she really wanted to win. She knew it was Morty on the opposite side of the Gym to her, but at the same time he wasn't Morty. The Morty she knew was warm; he made her laugh, and he kissed her nose, and he held her to him in the night…but this _Gym Leader_ was a different story. Never had she found his physique intimidating, nor had his long, dark blond hair and earring ever made her feel quite so flustered…she realised for the first time exactly why her husband had such a fan-base…

"Come out Gengar,"

Even his voice was different; it was cool and calm, and very controlled.

"Let's go Raichu!"

They stared at one another for an immeasurable moment, and understanding passed through them. There would be no rule-bending here – they were both out to win.

-o-

He always allowed the challenger to begin; he believed you could gauge a lot from the first move they chose, and he had never yet been wrong.

"Use Thunder!"

Morty gave a very small smile. Offensive tactics. Interesting. He would allow this to continue, measuring Rose and Raichu's strength as a team.

Gengar winced at the Thunder attack, but still shook it off with ease.

"Shock Wave Raichu now!"

"Move out of the way Gengar,"

Gengar disappeared, and Raichu glanced around in confusion. Gengar appeared behind the electric Pokémon.

"Hypnosis,"

"Agility Raichu!"

Raichu managed to avoid the hypnotic rays, and Rose allowed herself a grin. Morty was pretty good – but not as good as her. She was starting to enjoy herself.

"Now use Thunderbolt!"

Morty allowed the attack to make contact once again. He could tell that Raichu was strong, but Gengar was still very much unharmed – as he had anticipated.

Rose frowned from her side of the Gym; why hadn't he made Gengar dodge? There had been plenty of time…Morty _must_ be rusty…

"Use Shadow Ball,"

The already gloomy interior of the Gym was plunged into further darkness, and Raichu yelped in pain. The darkness cleared suddenly however, and Rose struck again.

"Thunder Raichu! Full power!"

Morty was impressed with the strength of the attack, but he had now planned his strategy. Rose had an obstinately offensive battle style, and the ferocious strength of her Pokémon proved how she had easily won herself many Gym Battles, but unfortunately for her, brute strength was not going to be enough to beat Gengar.

"Shadow Ball again Gengar,"

The attack hit once again, but Rose couldn't help but feel a little deflated. She had started off feeling exhilarated, but the battle had already run flat. Those battles in which the attacks ran back and forth like clockwork were always dull, and Rose knew that, due to her Pokémon's high level, she would always win in the end.

"Get it back with Shock Wave!"

"Dodge it Gengar, and use Hypnosis from above."

Once again Gengar disappeared but, before Rose registered what had happened, Raichu was asleep on the Gym floor.

"Dream Eater,"

A turquoise haze filtered towards the electric Pokémon who began to writhe upon the floor, but stayed fast asleep.

"Raichu – Thunderbolt!" Rose called desperately. But Raichu still slumbered on, despite the distress etched upon his sleeping face.

"Dream Eater again."

Rose's mouth fell open, and she watched on helplessly.

"Raichu wake _up_!"

To her relief Raichu did jump upwards; she did not like the look on Morty's face. Although he was turning the battle around, his face remained blank, but his eyes blazed with a competitive intensity she had not seen before in him.

"Come on now – use Thunder Punch!"

"Disappear Gengar."

_Disappear? That's not a move?!_ Rose found herself thinking wildly. But disappear into thin air Gengar did. The Gym was plunged into silence, but for the heavy breathing of Rose and Raichu. Morty did not move an inch, his face still half shrouded in shadow. He was waiting for something, but for what, Rose had no idea. She could feel her apprehension mounting, and she wanted to scream at him to cut it out – but that was the problem…he wasn't _doing_ anything.

"Now,"

Gengar was still invisible, but it managed to use its Hypnosis once again. Raichu had no chance of avoiding the attack, not knowing when, or from which direction it was coming.

"No! Wake _up_!"

"Dream Eater Gengar,"

Rose began to sweat freely. This battle was completely out of her hands. She could not predict what moves Morty was going to make, nor when he was going to make them. His skill was phenomenal – but she hadn't given up yet.

"Come on Raichu! Get up and use Thunderbolt!"

Raichu continued to writhe, but he could not hear his trainer.

"Nightshade Gengar,"

The entire Gym was engulfed in a velvety blackness that Rose's eyes could not penetrate. All that she could feel was the intense darkness and an unrelenting pressure against her eyelids. The pressure intensified and red-purple waves ran across her vision, causing her to gasp and stumble backwards. And then it stopped. And Raichu was out cold on the floor of the Gym.

Rose glanced over at Morty again and realised that she was shaking and sweating.

"Well done Gengar, return."

"R-return Raichu."

-o-

"I'm sorry," he muttered desperately as he handed her the mug of hot chocolate.

"D-d-d-d-don't be sorry!" Rose said with a strangled laugh, her teeth chattering uncontrollably nonetheless. They were back home now, and tucked into bed, but Rose could not stop her shaking.

"What's wrong?" he whispered, his eyes anguished, "what else can I get you?"

"I'm f-f-fine I s-swear!" she said with another laugh, "I j-j-just wasn't exp-pecting that…you…you're – Morty that was –"

"Just forget it," he mumbled. He felt terrible; he had frightened the life out of her…

"No!" she insisted, "that was honestly the scariest battle I've ever been in…Morty…you're _incredible_."

He blushed deeply, and she snuggled into him, her teeth still chattering slightly.

"Really – the whole atmosphere, and the way…the way you turned that around!" she gazed up at him in awe, "no _wonder_ you've been bored…"

"Well that was the best battle I've had for as long as I can remember," he said, his violet eyes bright, "Raichu is really strong."

Rose scoffed.

"No really – he is."

"You were just playing with me at the beginning, weren't you?" she asked, half impressed and half annoyed.

"I wasn't _playing _with you; I was…assessing your battle style." Rose rolled her eyes. "You know," he continued, "even though you weren't raised in that way, you battle just like a Dragon Tamer…"

"Really?" she asked in surprise.

"Really," he affirmed, "they rely on strength alone, and, like with you, it usually works because their Pokémon's strength easily outstrips others."

"But…?"

"You've got to remember I was raised here in Ecruteak City – Dragon Tamers are my natural rivals, I've spent many years developing a strategy against brute strength."

"You can't say that Gengar _doesn't_ have brute strength!" Rose said, remembering the horrifying power of Nightshade.

"No, he does, of course," Morty grinned, "But I've trained him to use skills as well as strength – which is where I think my training has been most effective."

Rose rested her head on his chest, and they sat in silence for a while against the headboard.

"You're scary in the Gym," she finally remarked.

"You think?" he grinned, as he kissed her lips.

"Yes," she mumbled, "I didn't like that creepy shadow across your face."

Morty laughed loudly and held her tighter.

"That was one of my finer ideas," he grinned, "and I'm glad it worked…but do you want to know a secret?"

"What?" she asked curiously, detecting the strange change of tone in his voice.

"You were scary to face even _without_ a shadow upon you…"

"Honestly?"

"Honestly,"

"But I'm a shrimp!" she laughed; she had finally stopped shivering.

"Hmm, but there's something in you," he said thoughtfully, "and I'm not in a hurry to figure out what it is again…" he grinned.

"So…you're 'less bored' now?" Rose asked.

"Most certainly," Morty sighed contentedly and he snuggled down under the covers.

"And you'll go and see Lance tomorrow – right?"

"Right; I couldn't go back to the Gym challengers after a battle like that," he laughed softly, before pulling her closely to him, and switching off the bedside lamp.

**AN: I just really wanted them to battle! And they did! Did you like the outcome? Do you think it realistic that Morty would beat her? And so easily? In my head it's very plausible; after all, he's twenty-seven here, and has been a Gym Leader since he was eighteen – not to mention his clairvoyance etc etc…and Rose has been working as a doctor for the past five and a half years…**

**Anyway, I'm rambling – but I hope you liked it! It was fun differentiating between lovely home-Morty and, quite frankly, terrifying Gym-Morty.**

**Over and out! (finally) Lots of love, A. x x x**


	41. Through Rose-tinted Spectacles

"Stop being a brat," Callisto said, but her lips were twitching nonetheless.

Morty glanced at her resentfully.

"I am not being a _brat_! I just wouldn't mind _actually _enjoying myself on my break!"

Callisto rolled her eyes at her cousin, but didn't change the television channel. Morty folded his arms across his chest and let his head drop back dramatically in exasperation. Callisto laughed as she took a seat beside him on the sofa.

"If it weren't for you I'd actually _be_ there right now," she said, nodding at the image of Tarragon Laboratory on the television screen.

"Well it's not _my_ fault the Professor was too stingy to extend your invitation to include me," Morty said, unable to conceal his irritation.

"I could have worn my new dress too…the velvet one…" Callisto mused, her violet eyes fixed on the screen.

"I said you could go without me!" Morty said indignantly, feeling stung nonetheless.

Callisto laughed again and ruffled his dark blond hair, much to his chagrin.

"I'm only joking – you know I'd rather see you."

Morty tried to supress his grin, but he was pleased at her comment; they didn't see each other often.

The broadcast was incredibly dull, Morty thought. Reporters stood outside Tarragon Laboratory, wrapped up tightly against the bitter October winds, all waiting in excited anticipation for whatever the hell Professor Willow's 'ground breaking' announcement supposedly was. Morty glanced over at Callisto. She was leaning slightly forwards in her seat, obviously expecting something out of the ordinary. He sighed as he thought of the documentary on the role of Manectric in the production of electric guitars – he clearly wasn't going to watch it tonight…

Callisto rose from the sofa and made her way into her expansive kitchen.

"What're you doing?"

"They're all at the banquet now; it's just adverts," she said, and Morty thought he could detect the wistfulness in her tone, "so we may as well eat during the break too."

He could feel his guilt mounting as he heard her cooking. Even though she had said countless times that she'd rather spend the evening with him, he realised what a huge event this ball was for some reason, and couldn't help but feel bad that he had essentially taken her away from it. Nevertheless, he was itching to change the channel - just whilst she was in the kitchen – but then, all of a sudden, the desire left him. His eyes became glued to the image on screen and, like his cousin, he leaned forward slightly, his hand slack on the glass of juice he was holding.

"Morty?" Callisto repeated as she nudged him with his plate of spaghetti, her own held in her other hand.

"Huh?" he said wrenching his eyes from the television. He felt strangely hot, and his headband seemed to be sticking to his forehead uncomfortably.

"Your dinner?" she said, looking at him in amusement, her delicate eyebrows raised slightly.

Morty cleared his throat, feeling the blush creep up his neck as he took the plate and Callisto sat down beside him.

"Oh my God!" Callisto exclaimed after she had swallowed her first mouthful, "that's Rose!" she said, finally spotting the dark haired girl on screen, "And Tripp!"

_Rose_.

Morty allowed himself to look once again, although he felt almost scared to do so for some reason. _Rose_.

"They both won a Spirit Badge from me," Callisto added conversationally. But Morty didn't appear to hear her. She looked over at him and had to supress her grin. His eyes were fixed on the television, and she had never seen them so wide. His mouth was open slightly, and he hadn't yet touched the plate of spaghetti in his hands.

"Hellooo? You there?" Callisto laughed.

Morty gave a small smile as his cousin brought him back to reality. He proceeded to eat his dinner, and gave the best replies he could to Callisto, but he barely even registered what Professor Willow had discovered. Every time the camera focused on that girl, Rose, he felt a strange sensation somewhere between his chest and his stomach. He had no idea what it was.

Callisto watched her cousin with interest. She could only assume he was looking at Rose for, every time she appeared on screen, Morty's violet eyes seemed to glaze over. His reaction confused Callisto somewhat; Morty had had a girlfriend before she knew, but he had never seemed overly interested in her. Callisto had wondered, on occasion, whether Morty would come to discover that it was actually _Eusine_ he wanted…she had been very sceptical of Morty's sexuality when he pierced his ear – she stifled a giggle - but this didn't appear to be the case…

-o-

That night as he lay in bed, the burning, squirming sensation between his stomach and chest seemed to intensify, and his head seemed to spin in response. What was wrong with him? Was he coming down with something? He took a deep breath in through his nose and exhaled slowly through his mouth – but still the sensation remained. He felt distinctly odd…

Morty's eyes widened as he considered the possibility, and his hands began to shake – but no. Why would it return now? He hadn't_ seen_ anything for over five years now…Taking a deep breath, Morty forced his mind away from such thoughts. For once he was looking forward to leaving Callisto, and getting back to the normalcy of his life in Ecruteak City. He rolled onto his back and, with difficulty, welcomed the oblivion of sleep.

-o-

The following morning Morty and Callisto made their way to Tarragon Gym to train together; each was the only ghost type trainer the other knew.

"Have you ever had Gengar use Shadow Ball whilst holding a Spell Tag?" Callisto asked whilst she rummaged in her pocket.

"A what?"

"A Spell Tag? You haven't heard of it either? Well, there was a fortune teller back in August in Lovage Town…she gave me two – here we go," she said, handing him the extra that she had in her pocket.

"What is it?" Morty frowned, turning the flimsy item over in his fingers.

"It boosts the power of ghost type moves," she told him, "I was sceptical too at first!" she insisted when Morty raised his eyebrows in disbelief, "but seriously, try it; you can keep that one."

But Callisto blanched slightly when she thought, once again, of the fortune teller. She had been incredibly old; her brown, withered face filled with unusually placed piercings. Callisto had been extremely dubious of the Spell Tag, and yet it terrified her more than anything when it appeared to work. If the old fortune teller had been right about_ that_, could she possibly have been right about the other thing too? The woman's voice, cracked and hoarse though it was, possessed a certain wisdom and power that had chilled Callisto to the bone.

"_It won't be long now…not long and his brightness will be obliterated…"_

"_What? Whose brightness?" she had asked in confusion._

"_He who shines brighter than anyone else…"_

_Callisto must have pulled a disbelieving face, for the old woman gave a sad, knowing smile._

"_Child…for once I wish that your doubt in my words was valid…"_

Pulling herself back to the present, Callisto glanced over at her cousin. He was laughing as Gengar covered his eyes with its ghostly hands. His laughter seemed to warm her from the inside and, despite this, she felt an answering chill settle in her heart. She shook her head lightly to clear it of such thoughts. That woman couldn't be right about everything after all.

-o-

They trained all morning, the friendly rivalry they had always had ever-present. They were usually fairly evenly matched, but today Morty didn't quite seem with it.

"Come on!" Callisto admonished, as she swept her sheet of silvery, ash blond hair over one shoulder, "I'm making mincemeat out of you today!"

Morty gave a sheepish grin as he rubbed at the back of his neck. His heart wasn't really in it today for some reason, he felt…distracted.

"I can see your mind's on something else," she said firmly, her hands on her hips, "and you know better than anyone we need to hone our _strength_ of mind, not let it distract us!"

She was starting to look a little highly strung.

"What's up with you?" Morty asked, one eyebrow raised.

Her eyes softened then, and her shoulders visibly relaxed. She could never be mad at him – not for any great period anyway; he may as well have been her little brother.

"I just feel like I've given away too many badges lately…" she said with a small laugh and a resulting sigh.

"How many?" Morty asked in surprise.

Callisto surveyed him through narrowed eyes; had he not heard her at all the previous evening?

"Two in the space of a month…which is two too many!"

Morty blinked in astonishment; it was unlike Callisto to lose and not whine about it constantly.

"I told you this last night!" she cried in exasperation.

Morty opened his mouth to retaliate, before he thought better of it and shut it again. But Callisto had noticed his hesitance, and her lips curled into a devilish grin.

"Of course," she drawled, "you were a little…_preoccupied_ yesterday evening – were you not?" she winked at him.

Morty felt himself grow hot under his t-shirt. He had forgotten about her – Rose. But when Callisto mentioned it, he realised that he _hadn't_ forgotten about her at all. It was as though she had been hovering at the edges of his conscious, but he had only just become aware of her.

"Shut up," he mumbled to his cousin, his ears turning pink.

"I always thought you preferred blonds anyway?" Callisto replied with a wicked grin.

"Where did you get that from?" Morty asked incredulously, distracted.

"Well your last girlfriend was blondish."

Morty grimaced at the thought of Lyra…he had never been so glad to see the back of someone. Callisto noticed this reaction, and started to wonder about her _other_ theory once again; there had honestly been nothing wrong with Lyra – Callisto had actively liked the girl, but Morty, despite asking her to be his girlfriend in the first place, had never really shown any interest in her…in _any_ girl for that matter.

"And everyone knows you had a thing for Cynthia as a kid…" she probed, trying again to gauge his reaction.

"What're you getting at Listo?" he sighed, as he pulled his headband tiredly from his hair.

Callisto blinked at his strange tone; she hadn't imagined his response would be so…defeatist?

"Hey…I'm only teasing you," she said softly; she hadn't meant to offend him.

Morty gave a small, apologetic smile.

"Nah…honestly, it's fine," he told her, running his hand through his dark blond hair, "I just feel a little odd," he said truthfully. Ever since the previous evening he had felt conscious of his clenched stomach and slightly giddy head.

"Well let's stop training," Callisto insisted, "I'll take you out to dinner – it's your last night after all," she smiled sadly; the weekend always ended far too quickly.

-o-

The little light available had a strange, eerie, blue hue, and Morty could feel his heart racing as his feet made their way unceasingly through the dim tunnel. His free hand scaled the damp, stone wall to his left, and the other was clasped tightly around hers. His fear was paramount, and somewhere deep inside of him he realised that this was the end – and that it was going to hurt. Swallowing the lump in his throat lest he scream, he glanced to his right. Her face was shadowy in profile, her thick curtain of hair pushed back over her shoulder. His fear did not diminish, and yet just reassuring himself that she was there helped him to continue breathing – to keep standing. She glanced back at him, and he could see all of his terror, all of his anguish and his love, reflected exactly in her dark, cat-shaped eyes.

Morty awoke with a gasp. He could make no sense of it, although it had felt so very real. He felt slightly sick in his stomach, and he was hyper-aware of the way his heart was thundering in his chest. But the bedroom was dark, and the heavy, silken curtains were drawn. He tried to blink to clear his vision, but his eyes stung with tiredness and, before he could form a coherent thought, he fell asleep once again, the dream forgotten.

-o-

"Hopefully I'll see you at Christmas," Callisto said levelly. She had dropped him to Fenugreek Port and, although they both seemed outwardly cheerful, each knew just how skilled the other was at keeping a firm hold on their emotions.

"Yeah, hopefully," Morty smiled, "Ma was saying that you invited us."

"I invited Eusine too," Callisto said with an eye roll, "but I haven't heard anything back."

"I haven't heard from him in nearly a year…" Morty mused, "I can only assume he hasn't caught Suicune," he said wryly

"Indeed," Callisto laughed. Their cousin's obsession with catching Suicune had always been a source of exasperation to them, "Anyway, take care of yourself – and try not to get too seasick," she gave him a sly wink.

"Shut up," Morty laughed as he gave her a tight hug, "see you at Christmas then, yeah?"

"Definitely; and give me a call so I know you're safe in Olivine."

Morty grinned, and Callisto rolled her eyes – he never remembered.

-o-

_Why_ he had dared laugh about it he had no idea, Morty thought glumly. The ferry had only set sail a few hours ago but his stomach was already rolling horribly. He had been lying on the floor of his cabin – he had read somewhere that lying down flat in as low a position as possible was the best thing to prevent seasickness – but it didn't appear to be working. At all. He grimaced as he considered the irony; his father was a trainer of water type Pokémon, and Morty couldn't even handle being on one of the smoothest sailing vessels available.

He could think about it no longer. He had to get above deck. If he could only see the sky he thought he would feel better. For him, it was the fact that the walls and floor were moving, but that he couldn't see the source of the movement, that made him feel so sick. Green faced and stomach lurching, he staggered from his cabin, and groped clumsily along the corridor walls before he finally made it out into the fresh air. He stayed in the same spot for over an hour, concentrating on his breathing – in through the nose and out through the mouth; he was well-practised in preventing nausea. His stomach started to settle slowly, and his mouth stopped producing an excess of saliva. Morty felt himself relax slightly. At least now he could guarantee that he wouldn't actually vomit. It was pretty chilly up on the deck, but he didn't want to risk going back inside when he had just started to feel normal again, and so he decided to take a walk – he was sure his stomach could cope with _that_.

It was a cool, clear night, and the deck was busy with people, Pokémon, and the ship's staff selling things from stuffed Pokémon toys to toffee apples and cigarettes. It was as Morty shifted his way around a particularly large keyring vendor, that he saw it.

A pair of legs were dangling over the ferry's edge, the top half of the person was undiscernible. Without thinking, Morty lurched forwards, seeing his hand grab the back of the person's jacket without having made a conscious decision to do so. The owner of the legs staggered backwards with a small gasp, and she nearly knocked him off his feet.

"Holy crap!" Morty heard himself say, his voice shaking as the adrenaline coursed through his veins, "You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"What on earth were you _doing_?!" she seethed, as she straightened her jacket. She pierced him with bright brown, cat-shaped eyes, her upper lip curled slightly in obvious annoyance.

"I thought you were about to jum- hey! You're Rose!" he exclaimed with sudden recognition. He knew those eyes – she was the girl from television…he frowned slightly to himself then. The broadcast had not been particularly close-up - he was pretty sure he had not been able to see her face in great detail on the television…how then did he know her eyes? And so well? Her familiar eyes narrowed as she peered at him. Morty began to inwardly panic. Was this not the same girl? Why did he feel like he had seen those eyes before? He felt his ears burn as he realised how insane he must be coming across…

"Aren't you?" he asked, trying desperately to conceal the humiliation in his voice, "you did that experiment with Professor Willow? On the Eevees?" he added weakly.

"Oh! Yes! That was me."

The confusion and mistrust in her eyes cleared, and she even gave a small smile. Morty felt a strange lump form in his throat.

"Absolutely incredible," he said, forcing himself to speak, "I've always loved Eevees – there're a whole bunch of them in the town I'm from…I couldn't_ believe_ that there are actually five evolutions…I wish I could have seen them in the flesh…" he babbled desperately. He wasn't even aware that he'd taken in that much information from the broadcast…

"I could show you one of them?" she said, smiling more widely now. Morty felt his back break out in a sweat. What the hell was his problem?

"Really?!" he managed.

What had she asked him again?

Out of nowhere, a beautiful, feline Pokémon appeared and, despite his unfathomable inward panic, Morty was awed.

"Wow…that's – unbelievable! Is this one yours then?" he asked genuinely, as he stroked the Espeon.

Rose began to speak animatedly, and Morty listened intently, not to her story as such, but to the sound and tone of her voice. His mouth turned dry and he realised he was staring. She had stopped talking and was waiting for his response. He panicked. Eevees right?

"Hey, if you're passing by Ecruteak City you should come and talk to the Kimono Girls – they own the Eevees I was talking about, and I know they'd absolutely _love_ to see Espeon."

_Oh God_, Morty inwardly cringed. He hadn't intended his response to be a cheesy pick-up line…but thankfully she didn't seem to think anything of it.

"I'm pretty sure I have to pass Ecruteak City to get where I'm going," she told him. She frowned slightly to herself and Morty felt his heart rate increase.

"Where are you off to?"

"Azalea Town?"

"That's like a five minute drive from Ecruteak!" he exclaimed, the coincidence making him momentarily excited, "I can give you a lift when we dock?" he suggested without thinking.

He saw her hesitate, her cat-shaped eyes wary, and he attempted to laugh to cover up his humiliation.

"I'm sorry, you don't have any idea who I am," he stuck out his hand, "I'm Morty, the Gym Leader in Ecruteak City." _Did I really just offer her a freaking handshake?! _he groaned to himself. But again she didn't seem perturbed, shaking his hand as she blinked in surprise.

"You're a Gym Leader?"

"Yup," he said, visibly relaxing once again – she didn't seem to think he was a moron…yet, "Ghost type," he added.

"Do you happen to know of Callisto? The Gym Leader in Tarragon?" she asked, her eyes lighting up.

Morty laughed, feeling himself relax further.

"She's my cousin and, incidentally, I'm just returning home from visiting her."

Rose's brown eyes widened considerably.

"Whoa, if you're related to her you _must_ be good."

"You've challenged her?" he asked in shock. Then he spotted the small amethyst badge glittering on her jacket. Callisto's previous words suddenly clicked with him, "and _beaten_ her!"

He realised that his shock must come across as insulting, but she only gave him a small smile, her eyes lowered.

"It was no mean feat," she laughed quietly; she raised her eyes to meet his again, and he couldn't prevent the smile that tugged at his lips. He looked away quickly then, confused at the heat that expanded suddenly in his chest.

"I didn't realise you were a trainer!" he said quickly; anything to fill the sudden expectant silence, "I assumed you were a researcher?"

She was looking at him in a strange way; she was almost hesitant, and her eyes were guarded. But whatever had been troubling her passed, and her eyes brightened once again.

"I'm a trainer primarily," she grinned, "I just had a…short break I suppose."

"So you're collecting badges?" he asked with enthusiasm.

"Yeah, the Spirit Badge was my fifth."

Morty's eyebrows shot upwards. He was impressed. He hadn't met many female trainers who actually took battling seriously. The Kimono girls gave the impression that they were skilled, but it hadn't taken Morty long to realise how superficial the image was. Lyra had _appeared_ passionate about battling but…well. He soon learnt that that was merely a façade. He grimaced.

"So why're you going to Johto if you're collecting badges in Sesame?" he found that he was genuinely curious, and this alleviated his previous awkwardness somewhat.

She surveyed him through narrowed eyes, as if deciding whether or not to trust him, but she had a wry smile upon her lips. Morty couldn't help but smile back.

"Professor Willow seems to think there might be more 'eeveelutions' out there…I'm off to try and discover another."

She peered up at him again, her head inclined slightly to the side.

"Do you fancy grabbing a drink?" she suggested.

"I guess you must be thirsty after your failed suicide attempt," Morty winked.

_Oh fuck me - did you just wink?!_

But to his immense surprise she laughed merrily; "It does rather take it out of me," she agreed, her cat-shaped eyes sparkling.

-o-

She was so easy to talk to, now that he had gotten a hold of himself. If only his damn stomach would stop squirming he thought he would actually enjoy her company. This surprised him when he realised it. Apart from Callisto, he didn't really enjoy spending time with girls. Callisto was like him, but other girls were just so… - he couldn't even think of the word. But the faces of Lyra and Miki swam before his eyes and he scowled automatically.

"I didn't realise you were so opposed to the figure of eight movement?" Rose asked lightly.

They had been discussing their different Poffin mixing methods, but Rose had noticed the change in his expression, and the suddenly faraway look in his unusual violet eyes.

"What?" he asked blankly. He glanced up into her face before looking away again quickly. Why did he feel so weird whenever their eyes met?

_Seasickness._

"Never mind," Rose said with a small smile. She found him interesting…albeit strange.

"What're you doing tomorrow?" Morty heard himself asking.

"Well, when I'm not planning my next attempt at suicide…"

Morty laughed loudly.

"I obviously mean when you've finished that – I wouldn't want to get in the way."

"_Again_," she grinned.

"What _were_ you doing out over the railings?" he asked, genuinely curious.

She shrugged.

"I just wanted to see the waves – I've never been on a ferry before."

"I hate ferries," Morty said darkly with a small shudder, "I get so horribly sick on them."

"So how does that work?" Rose asked in interest, "is it only when the sea's rough or something?"

"Oh no, I have it no matter what," he said matter of factly.

"Like now?"

Morty opened his mouth to agree, but it was then he realised - he wasn't feeling sea sick at all. He closed his mouth abruptly, before opening it again, only to pause once more.

Rose's lips twitched at his new, gormless attitude.

"I was under the impression fish _liked_ the open water?" she teased.

"I…I'm not seasick," he said quietly. But he was frowning. His stomach still felt odd, but it was the same feeling he'd had for over forty-eight hours now, and he had only boarded the ferry this afternoon…

"That's a good thing…right?"

Morty looked over at her again, and his stomach contorted.

"Yeah…I guess. I do feel a little strange though."

Rose gave a shuddering yawn as she nodded.

"Yeah me too, maybe we're just tired? I sometimes feel a little sick when I'm tired."

She began to shift a little awkwardly in her seat, and he realised that he was staring straight at her, without having replied. Shaking his head slightly, Morty forced himself to smile.

"I think you're right, I didn't sleep well last night." He remembered waking up because he had a nightmare of sorts, but he didn't remember what it was about.

"Whoa – it's almost three in the morning!" she exclaimed as she caught sight of her watch. They had been talking for hours – the time had passed so quickly…so easily.

"We'd better get some sleep," Morty yawned, his eyes stinging tiredly.

"What time shall we get breakfast?" Rose asked.

It was so simple. They were friends now.

"I'm a morning person," Morty smiled, "I'm usually up at half past six."

"Seven it is then," she said, giving an answering grin.

-o-

He lay alone in his cabin, his head buzzing with their hours of conversation. He had had no idea that he would have passed the evening with the girl he had seen on television. And she was so funny, he had found to his surprise…and clever and…- he felt himself blushing. His mind finally caught up with his body. She was…_beautiful_. Morty exhaled slowly, his eyes fixed on the ceiling, as he processed this information. His knotted stomach squirmed again. But now he understood his own feelings…and the sensation was not entirely unpleasant. This was not clairvoyance (which he could now admit he had been terrified of), nor was it seasickness…he…he _fancied _her. His breathing became shallow, and he could feel the blush creeping up his neck. Suddenly feeling far too hot, Morty removed his bed covers. The cabin felt suddenly tiny and, overwhelmed by claustrophobia, he stood up from his bed, only to sit back down again abruptly.

He recalled seeing her on television in Callisto's penthouse; the prickling sensation that had disturbed the skin of his back, the butterflies that had erupted in his stomach, and then, just this evening – when he first spoke to her, his utter inability to hold a normal conversation.

This feeling terrified him, but also made him feel curiously excited. Was this how it felt to actually fancy someone? He thought of her sparkling eyes and easy laugh. She had been wary at first he knew, mistrustful even, but she soon opened up to him. The heat in his chest expanded once more, and Morty felt himself break out in a resultant cold sweat. He knew that Callisto thought he was gay, and he was under the impression that his parents thought so too, but he didn't fancy men, he just didn't fancy _anyone_ really. When Lyra came along, Morty had panicked. He had had no reason _not_ to fancy her, as far as he was concerned, and so he gave it his best shot. She had nice brownish blond hair and pretty blue eyes, and it was all too clear how she felt about_ him_. She was 'nice', he supposed, and she liked Pokémon…what more could he want – right?

He had hoped, when they slept together, that it would mean more than his first time had – he fancied her – didn't he? But, if anything, he felt less. At least during his first time he had felt _something_ – humiliation, awkwardness – whatever…but it was something. With Lyra it was just nothing, and he had felt himself becoming more and more withdrawn in her presence. For some reason she had found his new manner mysterious, and her desire for him only strengthened. Morty grimaced again. Their parting had not been…amiable. She was distraught, although she had only known him for a little over two months.

Morty's mind wandered back to Rose, and his stomach stuttered again. It was almost as though she was taboo – his conscious mind had been refusing to acknowledge her, but underneath it all his subconscious had been stirring up thoughts of her, thoughts that he now faced alone in his cabin. He closed his eyes as he pictured her shiny brown curls…the way she gathered her hair in her hands as she spoke to him, winding the tendrils around her fingers…and she was so _little_, he smiled to himself, the top of her head barely brushed his shoulder. She had an easy smile, and he found that he too smiled more easily in her presence. He saved her eyes for last, because for some reason they captivated him the most. They were so…expressive compared to other eyes, and yet there was a steely determination there that held him.

Morty swallowed loudly. Now he had allowed his mind free reign, his body began to react once again. He covered his face with his hands and groaned to himself as he imagined kissing her. What shocked him the most was that he _wanted _to. He felt a thrill of excited fear course through him as he remembered their breakfast date the following morning. He couldn't wait – and yet at the same time he absolutely dreaded it. What the hell was he going to say to her now?

His violet eyes widened as he considered, for the first time, what hadn't yet crossed his mind. Did _she_ like_ him_? Was there any way that she could possibly feel the same? Due to the fact that he lived in Johto and she in Sesame, he was under the distinct impression that he would never find out. He sighed heavily to himself as he considered the mess he was now in, although he smiled confusedly in spite of it. He _really_ fancied her, and his body was showing blatant evidence of his mind's realisation…

He considered not doing it, for it surely wouldn't help to vanquish these newly awakened feelings, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to sleep until he did and, besides, he couldn't deny that pretending that she liked him too, just for one night, was more than he could resist…

-o-

"Good morning," she said brightly as she seated herself opposite him in the dining hall.

"Good morning to you too," Morty laughed as he set down the paper he had been reading, "did you sleep well?"

"Like a log," Rose grinned, "you?"

"Yeah, I slept well."

He gave a strange smile, almost guilty in nature, his eyes glued to the table.

"Am I supposed to understand the hidden meaning in that?" Rose asked in amusement.

"Hidden meaning?"

"I know your type," Rose said with mock heaviness, "you entice us all with your mysterious ways and then, when you have us under your thumb…you leave us desolate," she finished dramatically.

Morty burst out laughing.

"I wish I could say you had the measure of me," he said, "but you're well off – you'll have to try harder than that I'm afraid…" he said gravely.

"Mass-murderer?" Rose suggested.

"Closer," Morty nodded, "but not quite."

"Cross-dresser?"

"How on earth is that related to mass murder?"

Rose shrugged.

"You tell me."

"Because I'm an expert on both cross-dressing and murdering?"

Rose gave him an innocent smile, and he couldn't help but laugh again. Now that he was back in her presence, all his nervous, squirming feelings had disappeared. He still felt captivated by her, but now he was less concerned about making a fool of himself, he could just _be_ himself - and he realised that the more he did this, the more open she became.

"Did you want cereal or a croissant?" he asked, getting up from his seat and taking his wallet from his back pocket.

"Croissant please – and tea…and I'm buying lunch!" she added as he began to make his way to the breakfast bar.

Morty rolled his eyes but grinned nonetheless.

-o-

All morning and afternoon they wandered happily around the ferry, talking about everything and anything. Rose felt strangely at peace; she wasn't sure why, but she couldn't bring herself to feel bothered about Tripp in the slightest. It was as though since she had left Sesame, she had left all of her troubles along with it. Or perhaps it was just Morty himself – she couldn't help but feel that he seemed to be a perpetually happy person, and it inevitably rubbed off on her.

Morty however, despite appearances, wasn't feeling quite as tranquil. He was no longer worried about sounding like an idiot or saying anything stupid – he felt as comfortable now in her presence as he did in Callisto or Eusine's…what concerned him was that they would arrive in Olivine City that night, and he and Rose would go their separate ways.

He knew it was unreasonable, but he did not want today to be the last day he saw her. There was so much more he wanted to talk to her about – he wanted to know absolutely everything about her; all of her opinions, and everything she wanted to do, and had done…and said…and wanted. But, as it had a habit of doing, time sped up alarmingly when he least wanted it to and, before he knew it, the ferry was dropping anchor in Olivine Port: the journey was over.

Rose began to look distinctly awkward as they disembarked.

"Morty…I know you offered – but you really don't have to -"

"I'm not abandoning you in a city you've never visited," he said wryly as they continued to make their way across the port car park.

Rose followed him against her better judgement, she felt guilty, but she really didn't fancy making her own way, and it was so late…

"Are you _sure_ you don't mind taking me?" she asked once again as Morty unlocked a black jeep.

"Just get in," he laughed as he settled himself in the driver's seat, "it literally takes me five minutes out of my way, and there's no point in you wasting money staying in Olivine City tonight."

He didn't add that he didn't want their time together to end…not yet.

"Well thanks," she said with a grin, "I'm grateful."

Morty shook his head at her, but gave a small smile as he removed his leather jacket. Rose took the passenger seat beside him, and they fell silent for the first time. The silence was heavy – expectant. Morty felt his mouth turn dry, and he tried to speak, but all that he could think was that his tongue was suddenly a useless lump in his mouth. He was very conscious of the fact that they had never really been fully alone, and now that they were, every squirming feeling, every nervous thought, returned to him in an instant, and he couldn't think what to say or do.

Similarly, Rose did not break the silence. There was something in her eyes that hadn't been there before. She looked almost troubled, and certainly not as carefree as she had done throughout the day.

"Are you all right?" he heard himself ask.

She glanced over at him, her brown eyes tight, but she smiled.

"Yes, I'm fine…thanks," she then realised that he must have picked up on her change in demeanour, and that he was expecting her to elaborate…strange…he was very perceptive… "I guess I'm just nervous?" she supplied.

"Nervous?"

"Yeah…I've never been here before, I suppose," she shrugged. This wasn't what she was really thinking but, if she was honest, she didn't exactly know what _had _brought on her change in mood. She just felt a bit funny, and she didn't want him to start driving, because the sooner he did, the sooner she would have to leave.

"Well you don't have to worry about that," Morty said in a rush, and all his initial feelings of panic in being around her resurfaced, "I have a spare room if you're stuck…" he lied. He didn't have a spare room, but he could always sleep on the sofa. He hadn't thought that it was gone ten o'clock and she had nowhere to stay…

"No, no!" she exclaimed, burning a fiery red, "You've already done enough for me!"

"Don't be silly, it's nothing –" he began, before he stopped himself. He didn't want her to feel pressured, nor did he want her to think him forward…_why_ was he feeling this way again? He was over-analysing everything, and yet he only seemed to do so _after_ it had come from his mouth…

His hands grew slick with sweat on the steering wheel, and he decided that he should just get going – get his mind off this conversation…off her.

But she was sat less than a foot from him, and he was very, very aware of that fact.

Without allowing himself to look at her, he rammed the key into the ignition, and they both jumped as the car stereo burst into life, blasting the last song Morty had been listening to. He quickly switched the stereo off, his heart banging against his ribs in both shock and agitation.

"Sorry," he mumbled quietly.

"Don't be - I like that song," Rose said to his surprise, staring at him with wide eyes, a half smile on her small, full lips.

It took him a moment to realise what she had said, and he wrenched his eyes from her mouth with difficulty.

"You…you like ACDC?!" he asked incredulously. He had never before had a passenger that didn't moan and groan at his CD choices.

"When I was younger I could only get two radio stations in my bedroom – one was rap based and the other rock – I don't suppose you have to think too deeply about which one I grew to like…" she said wryly.

Morty laughed, and then, just like that, the tension between them was broken.

"So you don't _just _like ACDC?" he asked, his violet eyes lighting up.

Rose listed all of her other favourite bands, laughing in delight as Morty pulled the subsequent CDs from his glove compartment. They listened to the music together as Morty pulled out of the car park and began the long drive east towards Ecruteak City and Azalea Town. Despite the strange atmosphere having lifted, Morty still could not keep his mind from her. She was so close to him, and it was a physical effort to keep his eyes ahead on the road. She was not speaking, but the lack of conversation was comfortable this time. Still, he was itching to look at her, to see exactly what she was doing. But he didn't. He didn't know what he was afraid of exactly, but he just could not do it.

A bead of perspiration trickled down the back of his neck, and Morty closed his eyes for a second, attempting to master himself. It was as though a flame was burning somewhere deep within his chest; a small flame, but a potent one. It was the heat in him that urged him to look over at her, but he just could not. Morty had the distinct impression that if he let this flame have its way, it would burn him, and what confused him the most was that he wasn't sure whether or not he wanted it to.

_What the hell is wrong with you? Just concentrate! Stop thinking about her – you've been with her all day – nothing's different now, just stop it, stop it, stop it, stop it, stop it, stop it…_

His little mantra did not help; if anything it only made him_ more_ aware of her, if that were even possible. Mindlessly, he began to sing along to the CD, anything to keep his mind empty. He felt her glance over at him, and his cheeks flushed slightly but he continued to sing, more loudly now, and he managed to keep his eyes fixed on the road ahead.

The song changed and, to his surprise, Rose began to sing this one with him. Her voice however, was now all that he could think about, and so he sang more loudly, trying desperately to drown her out. She too upped her volume and, although he could not see her, he could sense the smile in her voice as she tried to sing more loudly than he did. Morty too sang louder, and Rose mimicked him. He couldn't resist; he glanced to his left and saw that she was trying her hardest to continue singing and not to laugh. He sang more loudly still, almost shouting now, and Rose did the same. Luckily the song was suited to such decibels, but before long they were both roaring with laughter, both fully aware of how ridiculous the situation was.

Once again, the tension Morty felt seemed to ease, and the rest of the journey passed pleasantly. He managed to talk with her normally once again and found himself wondering why on earth he kept behaving so strangely. The music they kept on, but at conversation level now.

-o-

"I understand that you don't want to stay," he said with an apologetic grimace as she opened her passenger door, "but please take my number – you don't know anyone here, and I'd hate you to feel like you have nowhere to turn – okay?"

Rose smiled gratefully at him, and entered his number into her own phone. He could see a hint of hesitance in her face, and it terrified him that she might have changed her mind about staying after all.

"Take care, all right?" he said quickly with a smile. Before she could say anything further, he wound up his window and sped back down the dusty road towards Ecruteak City. His breath left his lungs in heavy gasps as he considered what he may have just turned down.

-o-

It was not a restful night, to say the least. Even though he was back in his familiar surroundings, Morty just could not turn his brain off. He had decided that this couldn't be normal, whatever feelings he seemed to be harbouring for her; this wasn't some crush, he literally could not stop thinking about her, and he conceded that he was most likely insane.

_Dunno why you're surprised…any four year old that sees visions is bound to grow up to be a mentalist…_

Lying in bed was no use and so, taking his duvet with him, he made his way to the sofa. The television, as he had hoped, could not command his attention and, at six o'clock in the morning, he was still very much awake, and she was still very much at the forefront of his mind. Sighing, he took his duvet back to his bedroom, and grabbed an apricorn from the fruit bowl. It was only half an hour earlier than he normally woke up anyway, he thought as he munched the apricorn musingly…hopefully his morning run would clear his head – he couldn't face any challengers like this – he had never felt so trapped in his own mind.

His run was far from helpful. With his body working its hardest, his mind had far too much leisure time…and his mind certainly knew where it wanted to be. Morty groaned as he turned around after half an hour and began to run back towards Ecruteak. It was no use – every time he closed his eyes he saw her. Perhaps opening the Gym this morning _would_ be a good idea – even if he did lose a badge at least he would be thinking of something other than her…

But then he remembered, it was Tuesday, and every Tuesday he visited Violet City School to talk to the children his father taught about ghost Pokémon. Sighing, and knowing his father would guess in an instant that something was on his mind, Morty let himself back into his flat and got into the shower, mumbling incoherently about 'witch women' and wishing 'she would fucking get out of his head for just a _second_…'

-o-

He was definitely insane. He had officially lost it. And it was all her fault.

Morty scowled as he stood outside the empty school; it was half term, of course, the children were on holiday, hence why he had stayed an extra day with Callisto. He had _planned_ this, and in his utter preoccupation, he had completely forgotten. Leaning back against the stone building, Morty rubbed his face with his hands in exasperation. He was at a complete loss. He was _rational_, he was _focused_ – so why in hell was he acting like this?!

He got back into his jeep moodily; he supposed he may as well open the Gym now – it was always busy in October, and he had a new desire to vent some of his frustration on unsuspecting teenagers. He gave a dark grin, and stepped on the accelerator.

_You've got to be fucking joking._

He cut the ignition, coming out of his driving reverie, and he found himself on the outskirts of – Azalea Town. He hadn't even intended to come here, so what in Ho-Oh's name was going on? Morty closed his eyes and focused on his breathing.

_Calm down, you need to calm yourself down…_

But he couldn't. Once again, he became aware of the flickering flame in his chest - and it began to smoulder. Morty tried to breathe around it, to smother it somehow, but it was impossible. Since he had parked the jeep, the flame seemed to be growing inside him…no, not growing, but _pulsing_ somehow. Morty was under the distinct impression that it was the heat in his chest that had directed him here. But no. That was ridiculous. _He_ was ridiculous.

The key was back in the ignition, and Morty was just about to twist it to the right, when he stopped. Swallowing loudly, he deliberated for a moment but, against his better judgement, he leapt from the jeep and started to make his way into town, his feet carrying him faster than he was aware of consciously deciding to go.

Over there.

"Rose! _Rose_!"

She spun to face him abruptly, her smile lighting up her whole face. There was, however, also a hint of confusion in her eyes.

"Hi Morty! What're you doing here?" she grinned.

Stupidly, he hadn't expected that question. The flame is his chest leaped more fervently, and he could feel his ears burning as he asked himself the same thing…what _was_ he doing here? Their eyes met and, much like the first time he met her, Morty didn't seem able to think clearly.

"I…er -"

She was still smiling, but the confusion in her brown eyes was clear now, and she raised her eyebrows slightly.

"Fancy grabbing some lunch?" he managed to ask.

-o-

Strangely, the more time he spent with her, the less out of it he seemed to feel. Having lunch with her had not been his initial intention, but he was very glad he did. When she was directly opposite him, he knew he had a perfectly innocent reason for looking at her, for thinking about her, and it set his mind at ease somewhat.

After only a few minutes in her company, his agitation disappeared and he was once again able to behave normally. This surprised him; he would have guessed that spending time with her would have made him _more_ irrational, but it had the opposite effect for some reason.

Nevertheless, there was just something about her that made her so…moreish. He wanted to know everything about her, and he had an intense desire to examine all of her features intently. He felt as though he had spent so much of their time together trying _not_ to stare at her, that he could never quite recall her face in his mind. But here, over lunch, he felt able to look without fear of unnerving her.

But he couldn't bear it. He couldn't bear being near her like this, and not knowing if she felt anything for him at all. He didn't see why she should – she barely knew him after all, even though for some weird reason he felt that he knew her completely…but having her here with him, in the little café in Ecruteak City, opened a realm of possibilities that he had previously considered redundant. There was no reason he couldn't spend more time with her – if she wanted to. There was no reason that they should have to go their separate ways and confine their friendship to the ferry where it ignited. But of one thing he was certain; if he was going to see her again, he needed to know how she felt – because he could hardly stand a moment more of this. His stomach convulsed strangely as he made his decision.

"Shall we go for a walk?"

Rose nodded and grabbed her coffee, shooting him one of those damned dazzling smiles that reached her eyes and seemed to light her up from within.

_Get a grip._

It didn't take long to show her the main sights in Ecruteak City, but he didn't _want _to be talking to her about the history of the Tin Tower, or the upcoming Kimono dance show…

The orchard was just outside of the city, but it was always a tranquil place. In the autumn, the trees' leaves turned startling shades of ruby, crimson, and scarlet, and the berries hung in heavy, voluptuous clusters from the low-hanging branches. The wild grass was knee-height in places, and it shimmered golden in the weak October sun that shone determinedly through the cloudy sky.

Morty had no idea where he plucked up the courage, but before he could think twice, he had taken her hands in his. They felt smaller than he had expected, and surprisingly cool against his skin.

"Rose…" he began, taking a deep breath before he started again, "Rose, when I saw you - on the ferry - I thought you were the prettiest thing I'd ever seen…"

Despite his absolute fear that she would run from him in horror, he managed to keep his eyes on her face. Her mouth fell open slightly, and her eyes widened, but she did not take her hands from his. The flame in Morty's chest grew hotter when he noticed the delicate blush that was creeping up her cheeks. Her wide eyes narrowed slightly as she stared into his face, as though she was trying to understand something, but then, out of nowhere, she raised herself onto the tips of her toes, and kissed him softly on the lips.

The flame spluttered and roared to life, surging up through his chest and to his lips, and suddenly, he wasn't sure if the fire was coming from him or her. She pulled away after only a few seconds, and Morty could only stare at her in shock. He would never quite understand whether he just hadn't the time to muddle through what he was feeling, or whether there were just no words for it. Almost straight after her brief kiss ended, he took her face in his hands, and kissed her fervently, feeling a little shiver of ecstatic disbelief as she kissed him back with just as much vigour.

This was nothing like he had ever experienced, and he did not allow himself to ponder it. He was oblivious to all but her lips against his and the feel of her body pressed to his own. It seemed unfathomable that only last week he had known nothing of her at all. How could that be? She was _Rose_, and he couldn't imagine a time when she hadn't been at the forefront of his mind.

She broke away, gasping for air, and it was then that he realised that they were pressed up against the nearest berry tree. Although she was chewing her lip nervously, he could see the light dancing in her cat-shaped eyes, and she did not push herself from him.

"Morty…"

"It's okay, I know you wouldn't want to start anything…"

He found himself inwardly begging her to contradict him. She did not, but she looked at him questioningly, and brushed a lock of his dark blond hair behind his ear. He felt his skin goose pimple at her touch.

"I don't suppose you're looking for a 'boyfriend'," Morty elaborated, grimacing at the embarrassing term, "but I just so wanted to kiss you…"

His smile was so genuine, and his eyes were so soft that her heart gave a strange flip in her chest. Morty noticed her facial expression change; her hazy eyes were suddenly alert and, in a strange way, fearful. She stared up into his violet eyes and her skin once again began to flush pink. She looked away from him quickly, and Morty's heart began to pound. He knew that look on her face…he felt as though it mirrored his exactly.

"What is it?" he asked gently, as he wrapped his arms around her waist. Maybe he was wrong, maybe she felt nothing of the sort…but he had to know…and the sooner the better. The muscles in his neck tightened as he waited for her answer. She was quiet for a while, but he could tell that there was an internal battle raging in her mind.

"How old are you?" she finally asked, and he knew that this was not what she had been going over and over in her head. But he wouldn't push it…her body was still pressed up against his and she didn't seem in any hurry to change that…

"I'm twenty-one," he said as he wrinkled his nose in distaste – it sounded so much older than twenty had, "you?"

She bit down on her bottom lip to stifle her giggle, and he should have realised then what was going on.

"I'll be seventeen next month," she told him, an apologetic grin on her face.

Morty felt himself blink, but her words didn't register. Seventeen next month…his mind was in overdrive, so she was…so she was going to be…next _month_. She was _sixteen_?!

His mouth fell open in horror, and he tried to remove his arms from her small waist, but she wouldn't let him. Why was she laughing?! This was far from funny…he was…_she _was…

"It doesn't matter," he heard her say, her clear voice interrupting his crazed thoughts. He glanced down at her again to see that her brown eyes were dancing, and that her lips were curved up in an irresistible grin. She placed her hands upon his chest and leant closer to him. He could feel her warm breath upon his cheek, and he could smell the scent of lavender coming from her dark, curly hair.

"It's not as though anything truly _scandalous_ has happened…" she whispered, her eyes fixed on his once more. They fluttered closed, and Morty could feel both his heart and that now searing flame struggle upwards towards his throat. All rational thought left him as his lips met hers once again.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

He stared down at her, her dark, messy curls tumbling over his pillows, and his chest felt as though it physically expanded with the myriad of emotions he was experiencing. Her brown eyes, half closed with grief, desire, and love held his, and he could not look away.

He had never believed in 'soul mates', and had always been unsympathetic and, to a point, disbelieving when people spoke of great love stories, but here she was. Everything about her was simultaneously comfortingly familiar and excitingly strange and new. So wholly consumed was he by her mere presence that he almost forgot how to breathe. He was conscious of the air moving through his lungs, but it felt like a completely new experience now that she was here. Nothing was the same anymore, and yet he could scarcely believe that it had ever been different. It was as though his very being had found a new rhythm; and this one was smoother, easier, and yet undeniably sweeter…darker. Everything he felt had intensified, and holding her against him seemed to be the only way these new feelings could be contained and understood.

He pressed his lips against hers, and kissed her slowly. She attempted to bring him still closer to her, and Morty gasped at the sensation of her thighs at his waist.

It was like nothing he had ever imagined, being _that_ close to her. The sensation of complete vulnerability, and yet total security in her love overwhelmed him, and he held her tighter against him as the heat between them continued to build. He found her lips with his once again, and stopped trying to puzzle it through. Some things were beyond description – beyond understanding.

-o-

Too soon. He knew it had been coming, but it was still much too soon. Hell, a year would have been too soon. A lifetime - would he even consider _that _long enough?

"I'll write to you soon," he croaked, as he stared down at her. She seemed so small, sitting there on his sofa, and he couldn't quite wrap his head around the fact that he was about to walk away, and he had no idea when he would see her next.

She stood so she was standing next to him. Her mouth opened, but nothing came out. He understood. He could read the agony on her face all too easily. His hands shaking slightly, Morty took hold of her face gently, and kissed her forehead, her nose, and finally her lips. He could not bring himself to look into her eyes – he wasn't sure he could handle that. He nodded once and, before his bleeding heart got the better of him, he gave a watery smile, and made his way rapidly out of the flat, and down to his Gym.

Even the burning incense could not soothe him. He sat alone in the semi-darkness, and could not bring himself to unlock the doors. The idea of facing challengers now was laughable. He heard a door close from somewhere above him, and the sound of light feet running down the staircase. His heart began to thunder in hope, but then he heard a second, heavier door close - but not before he heard her sob. That was it. She was gone.

-o-

It wasn't usually such a hard decision. To be honest, it still wasn't, but Morty just couldn't care enough to make a choice either way. So he continued to stand there as the minutes ticked by, not even aware of how unhinged he looked, his eyes swivelling between the rice noodles and the egg noodles. Rose preferred the egg ones.

"Oh hey Morty, I hoped I'd bump into you!"

Morty blinked once, twice, before he turned his head to the left and frowned slightly. What was Sam doing here?

"What're you doing here?"

"I'm getting some beers," Sam smiled easily, as though being questioned about visiting the supermarket was completely normal. Morty looked a little out of sorts, but that wasn't unusual. He had always been a little odd, even as a child, and Sam had known him all his life, "we're having a party tonight – you in?"

"A party?" Morty frowned.

Sam raised his eyebrows slightly. Morty usually smiled and refused politely, but he seemed really out of it today.

"Yeah…hey, you feeling all right?" he asked in concern. Morty's violet eyes were dazed.

"Never better," the Gym Leader murmured.

"Er…right. Well, do you fancy coming?" Sam pressed. If it were any other male, he would have listed the girls coming – especially as there was a new one from another region – but he knew, if anything, that an abundance of females would only put Morty off…

"No, thank you Sam. I think I'll give it a miss this time."

Morty smiled tightly before he dodged around Sam, and left the shop without buying anything.

"Weirdo," Sam muttered to himself, but with an affectionate smile nonetheless.

-o-

The stars were incredibly bright; the sign that Ho-oh was exerting its influence – for what else could make the stars burn more brightly than the embodiment of Firelight itself? But Morty could not bring himself to care. The Tin Tower was the highest point in the city – Ho-Oh's resting place - and yet the awe Morty had previously held for the legendary Pokémon had dampened; the importance he had held over the prophesised coming of Ho-Oh had diminished and, despite the night sky being brighter than he had ever known it to be, everything around him appeared dim.

Rose had gone, and yet the fire in his chest that he associated as being a part of her somehow was burning him all the more insistently in her absence. It did not help. He had no space in his head to think of anything other than his aching heart, and yet somehow his heart and the burning seemed interconnected.

Morty knew he was freezing cold, but the sensation was not registering with him clearly. Burning and freezing, dry eyes, wet eyes. Would anything ever make sense again? He wondered as he roughly wiped at his eyes with his sleeve. He almost yearned for the clean-cut frequency of thought he experienced before he had met her. His life had been simpler then, and undeniably easier. But he hadn't realised how much he was missing. His eyes had been re-opened, and yet without the new filter, he couldn't help but realise how his previous one had focused largely on the grey shades in life. He gave a small defeated smile as he realised that nothing would ever be the same, he could never go back to his previous sentience, now that he had viewed the world through Rose-tinted spectacles.

**CN: It's always weird, don't you think, when you get so used to one side of a story that you almost forget there's another? Well this is mine. I hope you enjoyed reading me squirming – it's not easy sharing all your dirty little secrets after all.**

**Over and out.**

**M.**


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